tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75592313775487077552024-03-13T16:03:17.731-07:00Chris B. Leyerle<em><b><hr>Entrepreneur | General Manager | Business Consultant —— "Creating Growth Out of Chaos"</b></em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.comBlogger942125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-81662153813589665292013-06-15T14:16:00.000-07:002013-06-15T14:16:19.038-07:00Hiatus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l7CQjsEnw18/UbzZheO1XNI/AAAAAAAAEMA/5K_tSmPPIKE/s1600/yellow+light.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l7CQjsEnw18/UbzZheO1XNI/AAAAAAAAEMA/5K_tSmPPIKE/s1600/yellow+light.png" /></a></div>
For personal and professional reasons I'll be taking leave of blogging for a while.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-25903657967569442892013-06-10T23:42:00.000-07:002013-06-11T19:46:13.633-07:00The Public's Calling<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Um, Take a Message</i></span><br />
<hr /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yVEPrr8mMNk/UbffnetBerI/AAAAAAAAELY/WmEwimRL7Wc/s1600/government+snooping.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cartoon | NSA spying" border="0" height="288" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yVEPrr8mMNk/UbffnetBerI/AAAAAAAAELY/WmEwimRL7Wc/s400/government+snooping.gif" target="_blank" title="...as you were..." width="400" /></a></div><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-20988836205378248802013-06-09T23:14:00.000-07:002013-06-10T00:17:02.421-07:00It's 1984<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Has Been For Years</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> Lost in all the breathless coverage of the NSA eavesdropping brouhaha is that <a href="http://yahoo.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm" target="_blank" title="First disclosed more than 7 years ago">it isn't news</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://yahoo.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Headline news: May 2006" border="0" height="285" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KaSpDB4X2Nw/UbV7IekhMtI/AAAAAAAAELE/KjGFI8Y6ox8/s400/NSA+phone+tracking.png" target="_blank" title="What Bush started, Obama expanded" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
While a small number of us worry about that <a href="http://blog.leyerle.com/2012/01/civil-rights.html" target="_blank" title="The increasingly quaint nature
of our Bill of Rights">our civil liberties are being steadily eroded</a>, most of the American public actually trusts their government to snoop secretly into every communication they fancy. We traded liberty for security long ago, so what's the current fuss really all about?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-58753936985220173292013-06-08T23:05:00.000-07:002013-06-09T11:06:23.329-07:00Farmboat<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Floating the Idea of Local Food</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.farmboat.org/events/seattle/lake-union-floating-market/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Produce for sale at Seattle Farmboat" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SpEfO7_TVso/UbS1Czs3oVI/AAAAAAAAEK0/7nt5mm2AD_U/s1600/FarmBoat-Boxes.jpg" target="_blank" title="Crunchy!" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> Every Thursday from 11:00 - 3:00 through the week before Halloween, tour a vintage wooden boat and <a href="http://www.farmboat.org/events/seattle/lake-union-floating-market/" target="_blank" title="Better economy.
Better sustainability.">buy local farm produce</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
The FarmBoat Floating Market is held aboard the historic steamship Virginia V docked at Lake Union Park Wharf. Vendors display locally grown produce, specialty foods and artisan crafts on board the 125' wooden vessel--just as it was done a century ago. Market visitors can tour the ship for free and learn about Puget Sound agricultural and maritime heritage while they shop. (There is plenty of space on deck to enjoy lunch with fantastic shoreline views of downtown Seattle and Lake Union).</blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-44854144973312099332013-06-07T23:21:00.000-07:002013-06-09T09:27:20.309-07:00Coffee is Your Friend<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Live Longer</i></span><br />
<hr />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://theonlinecentral.com/foods-that-can-boost-your-mood-and-keep-you-going-throughout-the-day/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Coffee" border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sCH1sMVHD5o/UbSqwhzSnuI/AAAAAAAAEKk/WfEk67V0ogk/s200/coffee-2.jpg" target="_blank" title="3 cups a day..." width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> OK, <a href="http://blog.leyerle.com/2012/12/entrepreneur-fuel.html" target="_blank" title="I've posted about another coffee study">I lied</a>. Here's more information that <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/this-is-your-brain-on-coffee/" target="_blank" title="Think I'll have another cup, and
go read up on confirmation bias.">coffee is good for you</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
Researchers primarily at the National Cancer Institute parsed health information from more than 400,000 volunteers, ages 50 to 71, who were free of major diseases at the study’s start in 1995. By 2008, more than 50,000 of the participants had died. But men who reported drinking two or three cups of coffee a day were 10 percent less likely to have died than those who didn’t drink coffee, while women drinking the same amount had 13 percent less risk of dying during the study.</blockquote>
Other studies have shown salutary effects on cancers and various kinds of dementia. Time to brew another pot!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-87259218208157379282013-06-06T23:56:00.000-07:002013-06-07T18:57:42.689-07:00Blended Standards<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Is E15 Gasoline Safe?</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/02/house-votes-to-ban-e15/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Blended gasoline and ethanol fuel choices" border="0" height="166" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CaX8f8mGTz4/UbKOpVRoBCI/AAAAAAAAEKI/XPtubR5jjFY/s320/Ethanol-Blending-Pump-Showing-Octane-Ratings.jpg" target="_blank" title="Many other blends available.
Who's for consumer choice?" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> The American Petroleum Institute (API) is fighting the EPA over <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/court-battles/303367--oil-and-gas-industry-takes-ethanol-fuel-fight-to-supreme-court-" target="_blank" title="Supreme Court battle">how much ethanol should be blended into gasoline</a>. Is 15% ethanol content, E-15, safe for modern cars?<br />
<blockquote>
The [EPA] and the biofuels industry say the blend — which contains 15 percent ethanol, rather than the standard 10 percent — is safe for those vehicles. <br />
<br />
But the oil and gas industry has produced studies finding that the mix would damage vehicle engines, and some automakers have said they would not honor warranties in cases where E15 was used. <br />
<br />
“E15 could leave millions of consumers with broken down cars and high repair bills,” said Bob Greco, API group downstream director. “It could also put motorists in harm’s way when vehicles break down in the middle of a busy highway. We are asking the Supreme Court to step in and protect consumers by striking down EPA’s dangerous E15 mandate before it’s too late.”</blockquote>
Well, of course it "could". But will it? The API's studies have been called "scientifically weak" and there are, naturally, many other studies that show no harm. Could it be that <i>the science is not settled</i>?<br />
<br />
Reminds me of another contentious argument of interest to the API...<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The burning of fossil fuels, like the API's cherished natural gas, oil, and derivatives like gasoline, "could" cause climate change, which in turn "could" destroy the livability of the Earth for millions of years. The API insists that none of this is proven, and touts its own "studies" (of dubious scientific rigor) to claim that they should be able to explore, drill, produce, sell and use their product without interference from the EPA or anyone else.<br />
<br />
It's quite ironic, even if the API is too self-absorbed to see it. The biofuel makers insist their product is safe, produce their own studies supporting their view, claim the virtues of job creation, tout their contribution to economic growth, and remind anyone who will listen that their industry lessens our national dependence on foreign energy sources. Such patriots!<br />
<br />
They sound just like the API talking about oil and gas.<br />
<br />
Of course, it's an entirely different question about whether ethanol, made from corn, is a good idea. Using a food crop isn't good policy, the subsidies look mostly like welfare for agribusiness, and it has a poor sustainability story.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-ethanol-scam-20110323" target="_blank" title="Many reasons not to like it">Ethanol may be a scam</a>, but neither side exactly covers themselves in altruistic glory as each single-mindedly pursues their own naked self-interest. The API argument is cloaked in consumer-friendly <i>bon mots</i>, but the underlying allegiance to Big Oil first cannot be hidden. (<a href="http://blog.leyerle.com/2013/05/what-big-oil-can-learn-from-gun.html" target="_blank" title="The gun lobby hides its real benefactors much better">They could learn a trick or two from the NRA</a>.) Once again the API undermines itself by using ad hoc standards of argument; the inconsistency highlights the enduring constancy of their position—regardless of all else, drill more, drill now, drill everywhere. Shill, baby, shill.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-76699267757459529662013-06-05T23:06:00.000-07:002013-06-05T23:06:27.502-07:00Where's It Wednesday—CXXVIWhere in Seattle is this?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lEABGsbExdk/UbAie_uo5LI/AAAAAAAAEJ0/jwkjhgJ66tM/s1600/130605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Somewhere in Seattle... but where?" border="0" height="259" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lEABGsbExdk/UbAie_uo5LI/AAAAAAAAEJ0/jwkjhgJ66tM/s320/130605.jpg" target="_blank" title="Where in Seattle is this?" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Answer next week.<br />
<br />
Details on the weekly Where's It Wednesday puzzle <a href="http://leyerle.blogspot.com/2010/09/wheres-it-wednesday.html" target="_blank" title="Details, and the first puzzle">here</a>.<br />
Other weeks' puzzles <a href="http://leyerle.blogspot.com/search/label/where%27s%20it%20wednesday" target="_blank" title="All posts like this">here</a>.<br />
Answer to <a href="http://blog.leyerle.com/2013/05/wheres-it-wednesday_29.html" target="_blank" title="Is it in the village, people?">last week's puzzle</a>, after the jump.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Last week's picture shows the stairs and landings on the east side of the Federal Building at 2nd and Madison.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AcLP3NUUkq8/UagZRLC2jaI/AAAAAAAAEH8/5Evuq8ltV5o/s1600/2013-03-11_13-13-25_970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plaza and stairs, Federal Building, Seattle" border="0" height="179" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AcLP3NUUkq8/UagZRLC2jaI/AAAAAAAAEH8/5Evuq8ltV5o/s320/2013-03-11_13-13-25_970.jpg" target="_blank" title="SURFing above" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Photo taken from <a href="http://www.surfincubator.com/" target="_blank" title="In the Exchange Building">SURF</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-47358763626289352002013-06-04T23:25:00.000-07:002013-06-05T22:26:48.107-07:00Tomato, Tomato<span style="font-size: large;"><i>A Drink From the Bubbler?</i></span><br />
<hr />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DvvttDqEHNs/UbAbjgVPVzI/AAAAAAAAEJk/z9r8y6UaF1k/s1600/okay-this-one-is-crazy-everyone-pronounces-pecan-pie-differently.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Map: Regional variation in US English for 'pecan'" border="0" height="282" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DvvttDqEHNs/UbAbjgVPVzI/AAAAAAAAEJk/z9r8y6UaF1k/s400/okay-this-one-is-crazy-everyone-pronounces-pecan-pie-differently.jpg" target="_blank" title="Click for larger" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> How you say? <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-2013-6#okay-this-one-is-crazy-everyone-pronounces-pecan-pie-differently-10" target="_blank" title="Pie is pie">"Pecan"</a>?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-2013-6" target="_blank" title="What do you call a carbonated beverage?">21 more</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-56649680995598462572013-06-03T23:13:00.000-07:002013-06-05T16:15:01.035-07:00Startup Leadership<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Coda—The Song Remains the Same</i></span><br />
<hr />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.electric-vehiclenews.com/2010/11/hertz-partners-with-coda-for-ev-fleet.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Coda electic vehicle" border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vdvfvlwegf4/Ua_FU6cMu-I/AAAAAAAAEJU/LNuWOM8fnmk/s320/CODA-EV3.jpg" target="_blank" title="It's not the idea.
It's the execution that matters." width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> Building a car company isn't easy. Building one from scratch is harder still. And building one using new, bleeding edge drive train technology is perhaps hardest of all.<br />
<br />
It can be done, as <a href="http://www.teslamotors.com/" target="_blank" title="Zero emissions. Zero compromises.">Tesla</a> shows.<br />
<br />
Yet it is more likely to fail, perhaps spectacularly—DeLorean, Fisker, and the latest, <a href="http://www.codaautomotive.com/" target="_blank" title="All over but the feasting of lawyers">Coda Automotive</a>. Never heard of Coda? Launched in 2009, it aimed to produce a plug-in electric sedan for under $40,000. Last month it <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/coda-electric-car-company-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy-1228965" target="_blank" title="Fewer than 100 cars sold">filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy</a>.<br />
<br />
Why did Coda fail when Tesla, with a pricier offering, has succeeded wildly?<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>It didn't help that Fortune magazine described the Coda as being "like a Chinese version of a 1990s Ford Escort", while the Tesla won <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/09/autos/tesla-model-s-consumer-reports/index.html" target="_blank" title="Car and Driver:
'The best car ever tested'">unprecedented raves</a>.<br />
<br />
The biggest difference between the two car companies is simple—leadership. Tesla is led by Elon Musk, a world-class serial entrepreneur with a string of huge startup successes in diverse industries. Coda? <a href="http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/09/12/coda-electric-car/" target="_blank" title="Fortune Magazine">Led by so-called Masters of the Universe</a>, with<br />
<blockquote>
a roster that includes three former Goldman Sachs (GS) bankers, a founder of the software giant SAP (SAP), the private equity firms Farallon Capital and KKR (KKR), and an ex-CEO of British Petroleum (BP).</blockquote>
Klaus Tschira, the SAP founder is the only remotely entrepreneurial name on that list. Impressive as his story might be, making software is much easier than making physical stuff, and he is but one in a room full of finance people.<br />
<br />
In many ways, the outcome shouldn't much surprise. Entrepreneurs are expert at building companies, finance people not so much, however necessary they might be to the supporting cast. And Masters of the Universe? They should probably stick to what they know best, living the high life as rentiers. Building nimble, scrappy startups is not one of those things. It's a big universe out there, and they have not the broad mastery they would like us to think.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-86193756347033738212013-06-02T23:17:00.000-07:002013-06-03T21:20:47.145-07:00GMO<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Who's Afraid?</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> And what do they fear?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.gonzoscience.com/?p=638" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="GMO labeling comic" border="0" height="291" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xGwvlHiOMkk/Ua1p10BCHzI/AAAAAAAAEJE/DK6vNbhiPuA/s320/gmo-cartoon1.jpg" target="_blank" title="We label ingredients.
Why is this different?" width="420" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-15628512538630990842013-06-01T23:37:00.000-07:002013-06-02T23:39:35.413-07:00Passion<span style="font-size: large;"><i>All Entrepreneurs Have It</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.cocina33.com/receta/passion-fruit-daiquiri" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Passion fruit daquiri" border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7dvhT1ro7F8/Uaw5BM6TOBI/AAAAAAAAEI0/59Uw6Vv0AcY/s200/passion-fruit-daiquiri.jpg" target="_blank" title="Time for one of these later" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> I've been accused at times, to my astonishment, of lacking evident passion for my startup venture. Somehow, apparently, during investor presentations, I focus too much on the factual details and fail to offer (say some) a higher level of dynamism at the podium.<br />
<br />
Does this really matter? Do investors truly demand a theatrical exhibition of passionate enthusiasm? Or a concise and complete enumeration of the relevant criteria for evaluating a prospective investment?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://venturevillage.eu/worst-startup-advice" target="_blank" title="10 pieces of worthless startup advice">A sober presentation is better</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
From now let’s all agree that we’ll only use the word passion when it’s followed by the word fruit. Ideally then followed by the word daiquiri.<br />
<br />
Passion is implied. Passion is why you are reading this article. Passion is why you don’t work for Deutsche Post or a big bank. It’s why you believe that in the face of all the advice that tells you not to do it, to stick to your nice, safe, salaried day job, you’re doing it anyway. Passion is no longer a differentiator, it’s a prerequisite. It’s why you’re at the race, but it’s not the reason you’ll win.</blockquote>
No passion, no chance. I wouldn't be doing what I do (rather than a safer, easier and likely more immediately remunerative alternative) unless I was deeply passionate, not just about the startup, but about the difference I intend it to make in the world. Nor would any entrepreneur.<br />
<br />
Only the passionless could possibly be confused on this point.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-42249671225045373252013-05-31T23:29:00.000-07:002013-06-01T22:36:00.907-07:00Greenhouse Gas Flows<span style="font-size: large;"><i>A Problem with Many Strands</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> Reductions will require sustained effort and focus across a wide swath of global economic sectors.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.asnbank.nl/upload_mm/3/4/7/1753_flash_World_GHG_Emission_Flow_Chart_2010.pdf" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="World GHG Emission Flow Chart 2010" border="0" height="386" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jDmbp974H0U/UarXJTng77I/AAAAAAAAEIk/CN1kyGYDsHY/s400/GHG+sources.png" target="_blank" title="Click for much larger image" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The problem will soon become <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/05/what-if-we-never-run-out-of-oil/309294/" target="_blank" title="Methane hydrates">even harder</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-37315138658093879932013-05-30T23:33:00.000-07:002013-05-31T22:35:34.537-07:00Choosing Profits Over Planets<span style="font-size: large;"><i>From the Mouths of Boobs</i></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/republican-hypocrisy-on-gun-control-and-other-musings" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Rex Tillerson, Exxon CEO" border="0" height="136" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_KXy6rzMOto/UamGqs3LMzI/AAAAAAAAEIU/k5tBRcBlWZ4/s200/t+rexx.jpg" target="_blank" title="How much money do we want?
My arms don't stretch that far" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> "What good is it to save the planet if humanity suffers?"<br />
<br />
So <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/top-business-stories/exxonmobil-ceo-what-good-is-it-to-save-the-planet-if-humanity-suffers/article12258350/" target="_blank" title="Who cares about carbon?">said</a> CEO Rex Tillerson at Exxon's annual meeting yesterday. What really concerns him, of course, is less the suffering of humanity than the suffering of diminished profits. The right choice between the planet and profits? Yes! More money! Never mind that there is <a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/04/02/8403423/index.htm" target="_blank" title="Sierra Club's David Brower">no business to be done on a dead planet</a>. Or that you can't take it with you. Or that dispensing with the Earth, our only home, is somehow a reasonable option in service of unbounded cupidity. But then <a href="http://blog.leyerle.com/2012/07/climate-change-adaptation.html" target="_blank" title="We will 'adapt' to climate change
(mostly by having nmost of us die off)">T. Rexx has some puzzling beliefs</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-14933724823709401352013-05-29T23:36:00.000-07:002013-05-30T20:37:18.980-07:00Where's It Wednesday—CXXVWhere in Seattle is this?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AcLP3NUUkq8/UagZRLC2jaI/AAAAAAAAEH8/5Evuq8ltV5o/s1600/2013-03-11_13-13-25_970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Somewhere in Seattle... but where?" border="0" height="179" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AcLP3NUUkq8/UagZRLC2jaI/AAAAAAAAEH8/5Evuq8ltV5o/s320/2013-03-11_13-13-25_970.jpg" target="_blank" title="Where in Seattle is this?" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Answer next week.<br />
<br />
Details on the weekly Where's It Wednesday puzzle <a href="http://leyerle.blogspot.com/2010/09/wheres-it-wednesday.html" target="_blank" title="Details, and the first puzzle">here</a>.<br />
Other weeks' puzzles <a href="http://leyerle.blogspot.com/search/label/where%27s%20it%20wednesday" target="_blank" title="All posts like this">here</a>.<br />
Answer to <a href="http://blog.leyerle.com/2013/05/wheres-it-wednesday_22.html" target="_blank" title="Is it in the village, people?">last week's puzzle</a>, after the jump.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Last week's picture shows the main entrance on Fourth Avenue to the downtown Seattle YMCA.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V-Txz1TmKJs/UagaG9nsW1I/AAAAAAAAEIE/NBrZNKISRC4/s1600/130522a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Seattle YMCA main entrance" border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V-Txz1TmKJs/UagaG9nsW1I/AAAAAAAAEIE/NBrZNKISRC4/s320/130522a.jpg" target="_blank" title="Recently refurbished facade" width="179" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-30252075614310660262013-05-28T23:54:00.000-07:002013-05-29T22:55:12.444-07:00Love Trains<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dating In Prague</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/20e6cc/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Prague subway" border="0" height="149" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VeP80uvtCVA/UaboQcmGdnI/AAAAAAAAEHs/sbsuaZN5DyM/s200/5068161-Prague_subway_Prague.jpg" target="_blank" title="Hear my train a-coming..." width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> Officials in charge of the Prague subway are creating <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/prague-to-introduce-dating-cars-on-subway-a-901241.html" target="_blank" title="Der Spiegel">a novel kind of singles scene</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
Starting later this year, select carriages on each of the city's three underground train lines will be designated as singles-friendly. The idea was hatched as a way to increase ridership on public transportation, according to Filip Drapal, a spokesman for Ropid, the city's public transport authority. "This idea is just part of a new long-term campaign whose aim is to show what activities can you do in public transport that you cannot do inside your car (like reading, studying, listening to music, playing e-games and checking emails)."<br />
Of course, there are many things one can "do in public transport which you cannot do inside your car." Why stop at dating?</blockquote>
Why indeed? Perhaps because the typical ride is only 5 minutes? Speed daters will need to perfect their "elevator" pitches... and here's the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvsAqkOhI48" target="_blank" title="Love Train, the O' Jays">soundtrack</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-45788992013884153982013-05-27T23:41:00.000-07:002013-05-29T16:52:48.364-07:00Mounting Disasters<span style="font-size: large;"><i>More Billion-Plus Dollar Losses</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> The number and severity of economic losses from extreme weather events has been on the rise for <a href="http://www.upworthy.com/how-global-warming-is-breaking-our-wallets?c=gp1">years</a>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wUBMfxr1TCo/UaaPziVRtSI/AAAAAAAAEHM/VJV0gku8ejU/s1600/version-4-final1bil-weather1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Weather related losses exceeding $1B each over the past 20 years" border="0" height="296" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wUBMfxr1TCo/UaaPziVRtSI/AAAAAAAAEHM/VJV0gku8ejU/s400/version-4-final1bil-weather1.jpg" target="_blank" title="Click for much larger image" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Several interesting things pop out from this graphic:<br />
<ul>
<li>Droughts and heat waves (yellow) have increased in number, although the typical size of each event was higher in the previous decade.</li>
<li>Wildfires (red) are increasing in number</li>
<li>Tornadoes (purple) have dramatically increased in number and severity.</li>
<li>Hurricanes (dark blue) have also increased in both number and severity; it is not yet clear whether the last few years suggest a return to "normalcy" or just a brief respite in a worrisome trend.</li>
</ul>
Total damages are on the rise, and losses over the past decade exceeded half a trillion dollars. Given concerns about budget deficits, reducing that expense would be a worthwhile object of public policy discussion.<br />
<br />
While <a href="http://blog.leyerle.com/2013/05/serial-killer.html" target="_blank" title="Serial killer insists
nothing can be proven">direct linkage to climate change is notoriously difficult to prove</a> in individual cases, the overall picture over the past 20 years cannot otherwise be easily explained. Engaging in <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/05/21/oklahoma_senator_tornado_aid_totally_different_from_sandy_aid/" target="_blank" title="Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe...">puerile finger-pointing</a> and <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/05/21/inhofe_and_coburn_red_state_hypocrites/" target="_blank" title="...and Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn">self-interested politics</a> is not befitting those we expect to provide leadership for the country as a whole.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-29744444414911161052013-05-26T23:31:00.000-07:002013-05-27T21:33:42.124-07:00Serial Killer<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Sequel</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tom-toles-for-may/2013/05/02/86be575c-b37e-11e2-9a98-4be1688d7d84_gallery.html#photo=6" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tom Toles: the climate change defendant" border="0" height="270" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qyw8lCnscsg/UaQxJlX63-I/AAAAAAAAEG8/3uNQTqSOQew/s320/toles+climate+change+defendant.jpg" target="_blank" title="Haven't we seen you somewhere before?" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> Weren't lead, tobacco and asbestos all once in the dock peddling the same you-can't-prove-it line?<br />
<br />
Whatever became of them anyway?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-39063317306418045382013-05-25T22:52:00.001-07:002013-05-25T22:52:57.826-07:00Tesla<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Entrepreneur Funding Follies</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> Should the government try to play venture capitalist?<br />
<br />
Some think not, and they sure made hay over Solyndra. But—surprise!—we're not hearing from these same second-guessers now that <a href="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/05/tesla-motors-repays-doe-loan-9-years-early-with-451-8-million-cash?cmpid=WNL-Friday-May24-2013" target="_blank" title="Years early">Tesla has paid off its loan early</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/07/11/solyndra_abound_solar_a123_how_the_doe_is_not_like_a_vc_firm.html" target="_blank" title="The VCs went in first and took a bath">The criticism of government playing VC is inapt</a> anyway, and besides, do they really behave like VCs?<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zngK13FMgXM" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
(h/t <a href="http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2013/05/25/as-populist-as-it-may-feel-98-of-vcs-arent-dumb/" target="_blank" title="Entrepreneur who went to the dark side...
...of VC">Mark Suster, Both Sides of the Table</a>)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-31701468740570624732013-05-24T23:02:00.000-07:002013-05-25T22:04:30.964-07:00So, Do You Feel Lucky?<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Or Are You Too Tired to Tell?</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bbrisco.com/2010/03/4-steps-to-becoming-lucky.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="win dice" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LZXYoeaWdMg/UaGWzyxjhRI/AAAAAAAAEGs/rfe5xLuDEGw/s1600/dice.JPG" target="_blank" title="Be both lucky and good" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> We entrepreneurs are a notoriously optimistic (if paranoid) bunch.<br />
<br />
Ask most why they are optimistic and you'll usually hear about the unique and compelling virtues of their latest startup, the enormous market opportunity, the great team, the many sustainable competitive advantages, how much traction it already has, etc. Heck, I've said these things myself. <a href="http://phytelligence.com/" target="_blank" title="Phytelligence">Recently</a>.<br />
<br />
There's another oft-stated reason: hard work. As Thomas Edison memorably observed, many miss opportunity because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work. Not entrepreneurs. We expect to work hard. We may even be proud of it.<br />
<br />
Some count on hard work so much they come to believe that they succeed (and others don't) <i>solely</i> because of hard work.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2013/kabir-shahani-startups-95-luck-4-timing-1-hard-work/" target="_blank" title="Kabir Shahani, Appature">It's not true</a>.<br />
<blockquote>
<a name='more'></a>As an entrepreneur, you have to rely on luck. Honestly, being an entrepreneur, in my opinion, is 95 percent luck; four percent knowing when to recognize it; and one percent hard work. I mean, that’s the equation.</blockquote>
I'm not sure that's the equation (and given how hard I work, I hope I needn't have 95 times as much luck) but there's no doubt among any but the most hubristic that good luck matters.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130107170628-29092-want-to-be-richard-branson-here-s-his-secrets-to-success" target="_blank" title="Greatness and humility are inseparable">Legendary entrepreneur Richard Branson agrees</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
You do need lucky breaks to be successful. I've had enormous amounts of luck... To create a business, you've got initially to work day and night and weekends. It's really hard work. But lots of people do that and do not succeed. And so those of us who have succeeded need to thank our lucky stars for the breakthroughs that got us to the top.</blockquote>
Of course it's not all luck. As Thomas Jefferson noted, and Samuel Goldwyn more pithily restated, "The harder I work, the luckier I get." Both are necessary for success.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-11562259830517643802013-05-23T23:00:00.000-07:002013-05-24T13:03:31.081-07:00Another Kind of Oil Rig<span style="font-size: large;"><i>I'm Shocked. Shocked!</i></span><br />
<hr /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-21/oil-fixing-probe-accelerates-as-eu-asks-traders-for-help.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shell official walks away, head hanging" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qx73uczI2w4/UZ_FaqogSFI/AAAAAAAAEGc/12DEXCdWg_o/s1600/shell.jpg" target="_blank" title="Shame?" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> Ho hum. Another case of a rapacious global corporate cartel caught doing what comes naturally.<br />
<br />
European officials are investigating BP, Shell and Statoil for <a href="http://grist.org/news/bp-shell-statoil-accused-of-fixing-oil-prices/" target="_blank" title="Let's pretend there's a free market">fixing the price of oil</a>. The US may do so as well.<br />
<blockquote>[UK Energy officials] said manipulation of the oil price could have driven inflation and pointed out that the market is an important benchmark for many financial transactions.<br />
<br />
High oil prices also feeds through to bigger bills for food, clothes and other essentials because it pushes up the cost of transport and manufacturing.<br />
<br />
A high oil price will also fuel inflation, which erodes the value of people’s savings, and can stifle economic growth, by pushing up businesses’ costs.</blockquote>The economic impact of artificially inflated oil prices is huge; $20T worth of oil is priced from the Brent crude index, a focus of investigators. As with the LIBOR rate fixing scandal, it turns out the largest players "report" prices which are then aggregated and used as the benchmark for everyone else. What stops them from playing games with those reports? Nothing, except apparently the danger of being caught due to an excess of greed.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Whether the allegations prove true or not will doubtless take years of legal and other wrangling. Subsequent events will likely render the upshot moot. Many new oil outrages will vie for attention. And we'll all keep shelling out more money for energy.<br />
<br />
What's undeniable is that the economy and every business and individual within it remains economically captive to the price of oil, and that price is established by some many factors and mechanisms vulnerable to abuse.<br />
<br />
Whether by manipulation, speculation, or fundamental extrinsic event in the production of hydrocarbon energy, we need, as even BP once greenwashed, to get beyond petroleum.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-7456387943760248342013-05-22T23:12:00.000-07:002013-05-23T00:12:51.454-07:00Where's It Wednesday—CXXIVWhere in Seattle is this?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KYkU7IcevRg/UZ27th1NU_I/AAAAAAAAEFs/ay9miad6WeQ/s1600/130522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Somewhere in Seattle... but where?" border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KYkU7IcevRg/UZ27th1NU_I/AAAAAAAAEFs/ay9miad6WeQ/s320/130522.jpg" target="_blank" title="Where in Seattle is this?" width="190" /></a></div>
<br />
Answer next week.<br />
<br />
Details on the weekly Where's It Wednesday puzzle <a href="http://leyerle.blogspot.com/2010/09/wheres-it-wednesday.html" target="_blank" title="Details, and the first puzzle">here</a>.<br />
Other weeks' puzzles <a href="http://leyerle.blogspot.com/search/label/where%27s%20it%20wednesday" target="_blank" title="All posts like this">here</a>.<br />
Answer to <a href="http://blog.leyerle.com/2013/05/wheres-it-wednesday_15.html" target="_blank" title="Like ancient ruins">last week's puzzle</a>, after the jump.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Last week's picture shows a remnant arch, one of several architectural pieces preserved from <a href="http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM16D0_Burke_Building" target="_blank" title="Named after Thomas Burke, early Seattle civic leader">the former Burke building</a> which stood at the corner of 2nd and Marion. The Exchange Building is in the background.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DAvPjofGuPE/UZP2vugth7I/AAAAAAAAEDw/IRsO_3627pI/s1600/WIW+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Arch near 2nd and Marion,
part of the former Burke building" border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DAvPjofGuPE/UZP2vugth7I/AAAAAAAAEDw/IRsO_3627pI/s320/WIW+002.jpg" target="_blank" title="Arch from the Burke Building" width="158" /></a></div>
<br />
The picture below shows the entrance arch as it existed in the original building.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Seattle_-_Burke_Building,_1900.gif&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seattle_-_Burke_Building,_1900.gif&h=948&w=1200&sz=1078&tbnid=OroTVPjWCO7Y1M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=114&zoom=1&usg=__4cX3dUe4-E4Md5AKCmHWKni4naY=&docid=WetRHlnnSREZAM&sa=X&ei=gL2dUYjFJcaJjAK9tYDADg&sqi=2&ved=0CDMQ9QEwAQ&dur=1484" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Seattle's Burke Building 1889-1971" border="0" height="252" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NwBCdlcIUFg/UZ2-bqwDAcI/AAAAAAAAEGM/BWNnLXRQZn4/s320/Seattle_-_Burke_Building,_1900.gif" target="_blank" title="The Burke Building, 1889-1971" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mA4hDn9NRkg/UZ28JEgC7BI/AAAAAAAAEF8/_0JfNFohO-M/s1600/WIW+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plaque explaining old Burke building features remaining" border="0" height="179" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mA4hDn9NRkg/UZ28JEgC7BI/AAAAAAAAEF8/_0JfNFohO-M/s320/WIW+003.jpg" target="_blank" title="Descriptive plaque no one reads" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It was torn down in 1971; the site is now occupied by the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building. Thomas Burke was a lawyer, judge and railroad builder. Both the Burke Museum and the Burke-Gilman Trail are named in his honor.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-15696074927741785712013-05-21T23:44:00.001-07:002013-05-21T23:44:21.818-07:00Faster Than Rabbits<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Propagating Rootstocks</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> Here at <a href="http://phytelligence.com/" target="_blank" title="Let's get growing!">Phytelligence</a>, we're busy growing for our customers.<br />
<br />
See these pieces of budwood?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ze0Zu76Ih4s/UZxna_rEpZI/AAAAAAAAEFg/bnqUJ_JtaZk/s1600/130521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="M9 rootstocks" border="0" height="223" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ze0Zu76Ih4s/UZxna_rEpZI/AAAAAAAAEFg/bnqUJ_JtaZk/s400/130521.jpg" target="_blank" title="M9 rootstocks" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
In the next few months we're going to turn them into more than 10,000 trees.<br />
<br />
Need trees? <a href="http://phytelligence.com/contact.html" target="_blank" title="Let us help with your growing success">Contact us</a>, or come to our open house on June 11 and find out how we do it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-34806794082193449792013-05-20T23:17:00.000-07:002013-05-21T23:20:17.409-07:00Two Countries<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Hotspots of Hate</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> We're two countries alright, just not divided the way you might think:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.fastcocreate.com/1682955/see-twitters-bigotry-hot-spots-with-the-hate-map#1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hate map of derogatory tweets" border="0" height="237" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BCRhyO7fHOI/UZxfyIIqsCI/AAAAAAAAEFQ/_dCvcG06gBg/s400/hate+map.png" target="_blank" title="Relative preponderance of hateful tweets" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The map shows the use of hateful epithets used in tweets, aggregated by county.<br />
<br />
Um, so just exactly where is "middle America"?<br />
<br />
A lot of related maps to look at and more detail <a href="http://users.humboldt.edu/mstephens/hate/hate_map.html#" target="_blank" title="Research from Humboldt State">here</a>. Especially interesting (or sobering) to zoom in on where you live, or other places of interest, both to see the localized hotspots, and which hate words predominate. (Here in Washington State, the hate in Aberdeen is visible from space. What's up with that?)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-58024157312933455932013-05-19T23:45:00.000-07:002013-05-20T22:46:37.699-07:00Buildings With Integrated Wind Generation<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Beyond Turbines</i></span><br />
<hr />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://inhabitat.com/swedish-strawscaper-has-a-hair-covered-shell-to-harvest-energy-from-the-wind/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Strawscraper Tower" border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zNNrQoQh-2U/UZsIgZhYO_I/AAAAAAAAEFA/_BCHvHa-rsg/s320/Belatchew-Labs-Architecture-Strawscraper-in-Stockholm-Sweden-hair-shell-harvests-wind.jpg" target="_blank" title="Like an undersea anemone" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> Here comes <a href="http://blog.leyerle.com/2013/01/when-trees-grow-to-sky.html" target="_blank" title="Bosco Verticale">another unusual-looking building</a>, the <a href="http://belatchew.com/2013/05/16/strawscraper/" target="_blank" title="By Belatchew Architects in Sweden">Strawscraper</a>, which employs <a href="http://inhabitat.com/swedish-strawscaper-has-a-hair-covered-shell-to-harvest-energy-from-the-wind/" target="_blank" title="Waves of... energy?">a hair-like covering</a> which the wind ruffles to produce electricity:<br />
<blockquote>
The system utilizes Piezoelectric technology, which turns movement into electricity that can be stored for later use. The hair’s tiny movement is safe for birds and humans and isn’t noisy like traditional turbines can be. But Strawscraper isn’t all about the brains, it also has the beauty. The hair covering the building creates the illusion of movement, giving the normally static city skyline the illusion of motion.</blockquote>
While <a href="http://www.stratalondon.com/" target="_blank" title="'The Electric Razor'">London's Strata Tower</a> is still "<a href="http://www.stratalondon.com/tower/sustainable-living" target="_blank" title="Not clear who still expects this">expected</a>" to generate perhaps 8% of the building's energy needs, after three years there is as yet no indication of the <i>actual</i> power produced. Perhaps sensibly, a power estimate is not being offered for the Strawscraper.<br />
<br />
My prediction? It looks a lot like a scratching post, so beware <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TpH79Q7dh4" target="_blank" title="Monty Python video">giant predatory Siamese cats</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b005CjtnPTY/UZsIM1zKFSI/AAAAAAAAEE4/Ow0LhI8Brlc/s1600/python+cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Thanks to the miracle of atomic mutation" border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b005CjtnPTY/UZsIM1zKFSI/AAAAAAAAEE4/Ow0LhI8Brlc/s200/python+cat.jpg" target="_blank" title="You've saved our city!
How can we ever thank you?" width="200" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559231377548707755.post-63901441711783421792013-05-18T23:48:00.000-07:002013-05-19T23:53:04.455-07:00It's Hard Raising Money<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Serial Startups</i></span><br />
<hr /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.condenaststore.com/-sp/Didn-t-I-just-give-you-money-for-a-start-up-last-week-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Prints_i9373590_.htm" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Startup cartoon" border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WmQno8AGs3E/UZnEaky0p7I/AAAAAAAAEEo/0P-2TUQhwjk/s320/mick-stevens-didn-t-i-just-give-you-money-for-a-start-up-last-week-new-yorker-cartoon.jpg" target="_blank" title="Make an allowance, OK?" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~</b></span> <a href="http://blog.leyerle.com/2012/07/impressions-of-entrepreneur.html" target="_blank" title="What it feels like I do...">Or so it seems</a>.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04761284828479640582noreply@blogger.com0