Author: Paul | Page 39 | Shiny Bits of Life

July 16, 2012July 13, 2012

A new form of taxes

Writing on an envelope - showing how I am unhappy - pointing to a postage stamp of an unhappy person I got hit with a red-light camera ticket.

A good thing is that the traffic violation does not go against my insurance record. A bad thing is that I can think of a million other things I could have spent that money on.

I realize that these cameras may prevent a few serious accidents. But truly drunk or impaired people who might run a red light probably aren’t thinking about red light cameras. (They will be when they get their notice in the mail.)

I also understand that local governments are hurting. Like almost everyone else, they are having a hard time making their income match their expenses. And collecting taxes this way is very cost-effective.

Currently, only 21 states and Washington DC have these cameras. I happen to be in one of the states that taxes their residents this way. Have you been taxed this way lately?

The photo, by the way, is of the envelope I mailed the check in to the civil authorities.

July 9, 2012July 8, 2012

What difference does “imported” make?

Heineken amused me.

Their latest print ad touts how awesome it is that their beer is imported. However, in England, Heineken is not imported. For English consumption, the Dutch beer is brewed in English breweries, under license from the Dutch corporate headquarters.

What’s the big deal about “imported” anyhow? “Chinese-made” used to mean poor quality. Now, nearly everything is made in China, and often with very high quality built in. “American” brands and “German” brands are made all over the world. Even Swiss watches may be assembled elsewhere.

Having said that, I still prefer certain countries of origin for certain products. What’s your favorite imported product and why do you like it better than the alternatives?

July 2, 2012June 28, 2012

How do you decide?

Polish cereal Almost every situation where we make a decision involves some compromise.

Breakfast cereal … I love non-standard less-sweet varieties that can’t be found in the Kellogg’s or Post sections of the supermarket. So my search for interesting cereals brought me to Big Lots. (I’m a Big Fan of Big Lots.)

I found a tropical fruits cereal there, from Poland, of all places! Then, I noticed that Big Lots imported it from Poland. There aren’t many tropical fruits in Poland. So the fruits were grown in Africa, flown to Poland, and then the end product was flown to some warehouse in Columbus, Ohio. Then they were transported to Denver. And trucked from the local Big Lots warehouse to my local suburban store.

That’s a lot of carbon footprint.

But how do we avoid that? It’s not easy. Tropical fruits aren’t grown in Denver either. But I like them.

How do you decide which products you buy?

June 25, 2012June 22, 2012

Vending machines and culture

Umbrella vending machine in Hong Kong In Hong Kong, I saw this umbrella vending machine. In Ghent, Belgium, I saw an entire storefront made of vending machines, selling a huge variety of stuff, including Hoegaarden beer.

Why is it that machines in North America mostly sell food and soft drinks? We could sell a much greater variety of things, making our lives that much more convenient. We wouldn’t have to employ shop keepers to work at 3 am. (Those same shop keepers could drive around the city refilling machines, during normal waking hours.)

What we don’t put in those boxes is reflective of the boxes we put ourselves in.

June 19, 2012June 13, 2012

Poll about brewing coffee

Hey friends, here’s a fun poll just for something different. You can see what the results are by clicking the “View Results” link at the bottom of the poll. And if you brew your coffee using a different method, let us know by a comment on this post. Thanks!

[polldaddy poll=6310515]

June 12, 2012June 14, 2012

Found note

found note I found this card on the parking lot of a Target store.

Observation: The author was older than 50, from the handwriting style.

Questions:

1. Did the author go back to their home and create the card or did they have some in their car, just waiting for such situations?

2. Did the bad parking person pick up the card and bring it with them to Target?

3. Did it fall out of their purse or pocket?

4. Did the bad parking person change their evil ways?

June 12, 2012June 10, 2012

Way to save

fuel gauge If you fill up your fuel tank when it’s only half empty, here are some good reasons to wait till it’s nearly empty:

1. You will cut down the number of your trips to the gas station. That will save you time and money. It will help save you money for two reasons – you will do fewer impulse purchases at the checkout counter (if you pay there) by paying for the fuel fewer times. You will save the fuel that it takes to stop and start your car or driving to the station, if you made a special trip.

2. You will pollute the atmosphere less. If people idle their vehicles behind you when you’re fueling, you’ll prevent some of their emissions from entering the atmosphere.

The only positive reasons I’ve heard to fill up sooner are that there may be sediment in the bottom of your tank that could get stirred up if the fuel level goes too low. But modern engines have sophisticated fuel filtration systems, so that shouldn’t really be a problem.

And yes, you are smart enough to fill up early enough that your tank won’t go empty.

June 4, 2012June 2, 2012

No small cars

Ford Ka toy car Life just gets to be too much at times.

I was going to do a presentation at Ignite Denver 11 called, “Why You Should Drive a Small Car.” I was really looking forward to presenting. However, I am deep into the first term of a graduate degree program (two courses at once) and am continuing in my responsibilities as a dad to three kids, a husband to one woman and doing a good job for the clients of my business.

So I am hoping that I can do the presentation after the degree is finished. I’ll graduate in December 2013, if all goes as planned.

Thanks to all my friends who kindly gave me “yes” votes to allow me to be one of the Ignite presenters. I hope to call on you again after the grad degree is in the bag.

May 29, 2012May 29, 2012

Sad passing

Closed storefront A store in our neighborhood closed. I was really sad. Though I was not a big patron of Jo-Ann Fabrics, it will be missed. I don’t know of any new tenant taking over the space, which was a Safeway supermarket many years ago.

Our kids would ride their bikes or walk over to get some candy. Though there’s a convenience store a block farther, it’s just not the same. I feel bad for the surrounding businesses. They will miss some of the “halo” effect of customers Jo-Ann brought in. I am sad for employees who lost their jobs. A few may be hired at the three other locations in the Denver area. And local fabric enthusiasts will now have to travel further to get their thrills.

What recently closed business do you miss – and why?

May 22, 2012May 19, 2012

Enjoy today by looking back

Nairobi traffic Traffic is part of life in many large cities around the world. The traffic in the busiest of USA cities is nothing compared to the grid-lock that affects many urban centers, particularly in the “developing world.”

I loved our years in Nairobi, Kenya, but I do not miss the traffic. And it’s probably twice as bad as when we left in 2007. The roads were built to accommodate about 1/10 of the traffic they carry. So today it may take two hours to get somewhere that used to take 10 minutes, when we lived there in the mid-1990s.

I am very thankful to live in boring suburban Denver, when it comes to not having to regularly sit in mind-numbing Nairobi traffic.

Looking back at the past made me thankful for today. What experience are you glad that’s in your past and not part of your present?

I took the photo while sitting in traffic. At least sales people would peddle their wares while you were sitting there. Sometimes that was a pleasant diversion. I also wrote about Nairobi traffic when we lived there.