Sittin' on Top of the World

This is a great song which has been done by bluegrass bands and blues groups for decades. I first heard when Cream performed it and then later was reintroduced to it at a bluegrass jam. But it wasn't until two nights ago while listening to a local radio station that I heard who originated the song . . . . The Mississippi Shieks! check it out here and here and click here to listen to the their original song

with whom not where

On the subject of camping, a friend of mine says . . . "my ex (and a few girlfriends) proved that it's more important who you go with than where you go."

Weather can do amazing things

Got this from a buddy who travels to Canyonlands each year, guess he won't be going down this road anymore . . .

How about this for a derivative product?

in the UK they are creating a social impact bond derivative tied to the performance of a non-profit; 1st instance: reduce the rate of re-offending by young prisoners. Private investors put up capital and get a return based on recidivism (between 7.5 - 14%). Big Society Bank needs for "social impact investments" to be classified as legitimate asset classes.

Deduction

Deduction is based on inference. you take the evidence given, you call upon experience from past examples and you infer from a combination of this evidence and experience that the past experience will repeat.

Illegal Immigration - what's the problem?

The problem is that no one really knows because no one is keeping data. Many Demopublicans claimed during California's last primary campaign that illegal aliens cost taxpayers and the state tens of billions of dollars each year. Thanks to the New Times, here are recent comments from those that should know because they're supposed to be keeping track of the money related to the cost . . .
“It turns out we really just don’t have the data on undocumented people because they don’t get benefits,” said Tracy Buckingham, assistant director of San Luis Obispo County Social Services.
“The city of Santa Maria does not compile statistics about the cost of undocumented residents,” spokesman Mark Van de Kamp said in a statement. “City police officers do ask the immigration status of arrestees booked into county jail, but it’s up to ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to determine who’s undocumented and subject to immigration holds and deportation.”
According to SLO County Administrator Jim Grant, the county collects no data on illegal immigrants and therefore has little data on cost estimates. The county is reimbursed for the costs of detaining and processing such individuals he said. In the 2005 fiscal year, for example, the county received about $200,000 in reimbursement from the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. Last fiscal year the county received about $249,000 and Grant said it has budgeted to ask for about $275,000 this year.
SLO Sheriff’s Department spokesman Rob Bryn said the department doesn’t track illegal immigrants. “Normally we don’t track anything we’re not required to track,” he said. “And that’s just a budget issue.”
What about SLO County Auditor-Controller Gere Sibbach? Does he have any idea how many illegal immigrants are in the county or how much it costs the average legal resident?
“No I don’t,” he said. “I can’t think of anything.”

You can read the whole story here

Dead End Kids on Acid -

click here to read the story from Reason Magazine

There is a book entitled "Orange Sunshine: The Brotherhood of Eternal Love and Its Quest to Spread Peace, Love and Acid to the World" by Nicholas Schou.

Taking "doing the laundry" for granted

Friends of ours are in Holland and we received this bit of "life info" comparison from them the other day . . . .

"Doing laundry is a major hassle. They don’t have ANY laundromats. There is one washer and dryer for all the boats tied up in the marina. It only takes tokens that we get from the harbormaster and it took us days to get him to remember to bring some to us. We got four, for two washes and dries. All our clothes were dirty. Then I put a token in the washing machine and it didn’t start. Rob came down and looked. The light was on, but it just wouldn’t start. We had to use another token. Then another in the dryer. After 35 minutes I walked the block down to the machine to check to see how dry they were. They were not, and if you open the door, the coin drops in the box and turns off the dryer. I pulled out the last token and it was in fact a fifty cent piece that is the same color and size as the token. It didn’t work in the machine. I had to take the clothes out, put them in a box and hang them on the clothes line back at the B&B that evening. While eating dinner it started raining. Great. They are still out there as today is to be cold but clear. It’s all part of the adventure."

The end of ignorance is coming

During a recent interview with Charlie Rose, Intel CEO Paul Otellini had some amazing comments on the future of computing. He also said that within 5 years everything is going to be on every device; you'll be able to access it all from your car, your phone, your personal computer, your TV. To which Rose asked, "What's going to become obsolete?" Otellini responded, "Ignorance."

What were the real losses at Madoff??

By the end of his multi-decade fraudulent run, the final account statements (November 30 2008) issued to all his “clients” totaled the sum of $73.1 billion dollars. The people conned by Madoff believed they were worth a collective $65 billion dollars more than their accounts were worth. The initial amount of cash put up was $20 billion dollars, beginning in the early 1960s and continuously from there forward.

The bankruptcy court in this case has made the basic determination that the losses were ONLY the cash that was initially given to Madoff & Co. The extra $45 billion was a fictitious part of Madoff’s fraud. Therefore, it represents funds that were not actual investment losses, and are not covered by SIPIC insurance. So there . . .

The largest Tsunami ever . . .

Where was the largest tsunami in history recorded?

a. India

b. Philippines

c. Chile

d. Japan

In 1971 a wall of water 278 feet (84.7 meters) high surged past Ishigaki Island, Japan. It moved a 750-block of coral 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) closer to shore but did little other damage.

a comment from Buffet

“At 86 and 79, Charlie and I remain lucky beyond our dreams. We were born in America; had terrific parents who saw that we got good educations; have enjoyed wonderful families and great health; and came equipped with a “business” gene that allows us to prosper in a manner hugely disproportionate to that experienced by many people who contribute as much or more to our society’s well-being. Moreover, we have long had jobs that we love, in which we are helped in countless ways by talented and cheerful associates. Indeed, over the years, our work has become ever more fascinating; no wonder we tap-dance to work. If pushed, we would gladly pay substantial sums to have our jobs (but don’t tell the Comp Committee).”

Driving Safely???

The Highway Loss Data Institute data released in January is a study collected before-and- after crash rates in California, Connecticut, New York, and the District of Columbia, all of which ban the use of cell phones while driving. It also compared crash rates in nearby states without such bans. The data showed no significant changes after the bans were in effect, and no significant changes in states without the bans.
There are several possible explanations for these results, besides the obvious possibility that there is no connection between talking on a phone and driver attentiveness to driving. First, the bans may not be enforced very well, or at all. Second, there may be a ramp-up period before the word gets around that you can be penalized for using a phone while driving. But the study does raise concerns about the broader issue of driver distractions—and more of those are on the way.
Far more likely to cause accidents is texting while driving, given that most people need to look at their device while doing so. Nineteen states plus the District of Columbia and Guam now ban texting while driving—but those bans may show equally little effect if it turns out that enforcement is so difficult or spotty as to have practically no impact (as may well be he case for the cell phone use study).
Beyond texting is the growing proliferation of in-car devices to further distract drivers from keeping their cars in safe operation. Bill Snyder, in Computerworld (Jan. 25th) reported from the Consumer Electronics Show about “a new generation of devices that bring email, the Internet, and digital entertainment into our cars.” There were 380 exhibitors showing items such as mobile TV and high-speed Internet access for cars, some pitched to eager car manufacturers and others aimed at individuals, as after-market add-ons to their cars. In his article, “Dear Silicon Valley: Stay Out of My Car,” Snyder quotes University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer, as follows: “Listening to a short text message is probably okay. But trying to pay attention to a complex email is a bad idea; it overloads the driver.” Strayer’s research has found that only 2.5% of us are the kind of “super-taskers” who can carry out multiple complex tasks at the same time.

Super Bowls betting results

Each year, my friend Phil Norton and I bet as many of the Las Vegas betting options as we can on the Super Bowl football game. They number as many as 80 different bets from coin toss to most average passing yards by team to first play of game to most penalty yards, etc. We've been doing this for 20 years. This year there were 62 bets, 10 were draws and I won 27 and Phil won 25. This year we bet 50 cents on each wager so I won $1.00 . . . can't wait for the check to arrive. Oh yeah, I won't cash the check, that's the way we do it every year.

Chef's Holidays 2010 at the Ahwanhee Hotel

Each year in Yosemite at the Ahwanhee they put on a top chef's demonstration of fine cooking, tour of the kitchen and culminating with a banquet in the Great Dining Hall. We stayed at the Lodge at Yosemite where we had snow and rain showers most of the time but great visuals except Half Dome was conspicuously absent. My friend Rob Davidson said that they had taken down for repairs. click here for a look at the Chef's Holidays.

Kurzweil part two

Kurzweil has now written what may be his opus, "The Singularity is Near." If you are at all interested in what the future might hold, and are not afraid to get out of your box, you should get this book and read it. What is the singularity? Kurzweil suggests it is a future period in which technological progress becomes so rapid that it radically transforms humankind. The difference between human and our machines becomes less and less as we adapt to an increasingly technological civilization. Increasingly, out nanotech starts to inhabit our bodies. "To picture the singularity, imagine computers trillions of times smarter than Newton, Einstein and Edison inventing new technologies while continually enhancing their own abilities. Kurzweil argues that the Singularity will occur around 2045."

Ray Kurzweil

Ray Kurzweil is perhaps the primary spokesman of our generation documenting the change in the pace of technology. Some of that change he has personally been responsible for. He is the inventor of speech recognition, scanners, music synthesizers and many other technical marvels. He is a certifiable genius in multiple fields. You can learn more about him by going to his web site click here

Successful Big Family Party 14 or more

Lots of space, so everyone can feel free to stretch out for a break if the need/want to.

A little of what everyone has at home : cut meats in the frig, a keg of beer, a lot of good wine and malted whiskies, mementos of those in attendance or relatives, an environment where everyone feels at ease, good food, close and good accommodations, something to familiarize everyone with the local area : parks, downtown, beaches, hiking trails and walks, parks, golf, surfing, etc.

Mark Twain on the newspaper

"If you don't read the newspaper you're not informed; if you read the newspaper you're misinformed."

Mark Twain

Blue Moon on New Year's Eve

Thursday night there will be a Blue Moon, the 12th of the year but a Blue Moon falling precisely on December 31st is very unusual. The last time it happened was in 1990, and the next time won't be until 2028. Click here for more info