The News and Observer ran a story this morning about rival newspaper The Carrboro Citizen asking for a small business loan from the Town of Carrboro. In the online version of the story, the newspaper’s name is mentioned (emphasis mine):
The Carrboro Citizen’s plans buck two trends. Across the U.S., newspapers are printing fewer copies as circulation and advertising revenues decline. At the same time, many recoil at the suggestion of government aid such as that granted to other industries.
This is just bizarre:
Fire officials in Bellevue, Wash., have tracked down the apparent culprit in a $200,000 fire to the back of a home and they found that, well, nobody is to blame, KIRO-TV reports.
Turns out that sunshine beaming through a dog’s glass water bowl on a bright sunny day combined to start the fire on the wood deck.
Read more.
I learned today that last week the Federal Trade Commission filed suit against a telemarketing company and a car warranty company allegedly involved in the car warranty robocalls. According to the FTC press release:
The complaints were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on May 14, 2009. The complaint against the robocaller names as defendants a Florida-based company called Voice Touch Inc., and two of its principals, James and Maureen Dunne. It also names an Illinois-based company affiliated with Voice Touch called Network Foundations, LLC and a principal in that company, Damian Kohlfeld. The second complaint names a Florida-based company called Transcontinental Warranty Inc., which sells extended auto warranties, and the company’s president and CEO, Christopher D. Cowart.
That’s all fine and good, but these names do not match up with the documents sent to me by people who were unlucky enough to purchase the warranties. Those documents clearly say “Great Atlantic Warranty.” So, while some enforcement is better than none, I’m afraid there are some bandits still to be rounded up.
I’ve got no appointments tonight and I couldn’t be happier. I picked up a cold this weekend and there’s nothing I’m looking forward to more than a good night’s sleep!
Cory Doctorow takes on the telecoms in an article in the Guardian today. Cory talks about the dangers of traffic shaping and why metered billing in ISPs would chill Internet growth. He also reminds us that telecoms are riding high on the public’s dime through the use of public right of way, a point I made here before.
It’s worth a read.
I’ve been mulling over purchasing an electric car (well, one that goes farther than a block, anyway). I found one that’s being sold locally and is in pretty good shape. One thing about electric cars is the question of range. Depending on the batteries used, an electric car can range from 30 to 100 miles without being recharged. Thus, with some trips it becomes important to know where a recharging station might be found.
This reminded me that the City of Raleigh announced some sort of electric car partnership in February. In partnership with an initiative called Project Get Ready, Mayor Meeker announced that experimental charging stations would be installed around downtown, which would seem to solve the charging station problem.
Continue reading
Today I decided to do something to justify my low resting heart rate! This was a morning that Kelly and I had to ourselves, as the kids were away on their first friends-house sleepover (my mom rightly pointed out that this sleepover wasn’t their first as they’ve stayed with her and my dad before). We awoke before today’s non-stop rain began, put on our jogging gear, and took the dog with us on a path around the neighborhoods. Though I haven’t done any real running in a year or so, I managed to keep up with Kelly and the dog.
Kelly estimates we made it around the 2.5 mile course in about 25 minutes. There were several pit stops for the dog as well as pauses to chat with friends we saw on the way, so its not a definitive time. Regardless, it sure felt good to get out there!
I picked up some tomato plants a neighbor was giving away. She says they came from the governor’s garden.
The plants are probably two feet tall and are of different tomato varieties, one of which being the Cherokee purple variety that we loved last summer.
I’ve been well behind getting our garden going. I don’t expect to have much in the way of vegetables or fruit come fall. Getting some plants that are already sprouting flowers provides a much-needed head start.
We got back from Mordecai Historic Park’s Blast from the Past and had a terrific time! There were lots of kid-friendly things to do as well as lots of historic things to see. We watched as a team from a local antique automobile association put together a disassembled Model T in about than 8 minutes. We also watched a fashion show detailing the latest 19th century ladies fashions. We also got in a tour of the home and a tour of part of downtown Raleigh on the Mordecai trolley. It was a lot of tun!
There’s a lot going on around town this weekend, particularly today. We’re heading over soon to Mordecai Historic Park for its first annual “Blast from the Past” day. Re-enactors in period garb will be wandering around the park, leading tours. There’ll be music, kids activities, free tours of the house, and the most popular attraction – free trolley rides around town! As a boardmember at Mordecai, it will be my chance to see what the public thinks of our work.
Today is also the first day of Artsplosure, the city’s annual arts festival. We’ll wander around the downtown streets, checking out all of the art, music, and festivities. It should be a great time, and as long as the weather stays dry it should be an ideal day to see everything.
This afternoon the kids are heading over to their very first sleepover, leaving Kelly and I with our first 24 hours alone in a long while. We plan to head back to Artsplosure to hear Buckwheat Zydeco play at 8 PM. After that we may wander around downtown and take in some of the nightlife. It should be a fun-filled day!
