On Vacation

At 5PM Friday I'll be off like a prom dress for some much needed and overdue R&R. I'll be away from computers most of the time, so my experiments in digital technology are on temporary hold. Not that there has been a lot of progress lately, so maybe a break from blogging will be good for me too. I'll be back in a week or so.

Geese Are Really Smart

It came to my attention recently, that certain Reno bloggers don't like geese. I would like to remind one and all that geese have several swell character traits. The following video may be old news to some, but I think it will prove my point.

1)It is an established scientific fact that geese enjoy the company of humans.
2) Geese hate Fabio.
3) Therefor, Fabio is not human.
4) Geese, having figured this out, are really smart.

Notes from a Bystander

There’s been some interesting developments in the Reno blogger community lately, regarding first amendment rights and freedom of speech. It all started in an obscure corner of the world; women’s soccer at UNR. As the lawyers gathered, Ryan Jerz weighed-in with an opinion of it on his blog. Since Ryan’s interest in sports far exceeds my own, my initial reaction was something like, “I can’t believe he follows women’s soccer (?).” It was easy to pass it off as just another quirky interest of a fellow blogger.

But, it soon turned into more than that. The hyper-active soccer coach filed a defamation suit, of the harassment type, against Ryan, forcing him to take down his post. Bob Conrad wrote a 4 part post on the whole ordeal, and AG and LB have also written about it. Their posts and the comments sections make for some thought provoking reading.

There are a handful of bloggers that have been a lot of help to me over the past several months, and Ryan Jerz has certainly been at the forefront of that. There have been times when it appeared that Ryan was promoting my blog more than I was. I sometimes wonder how it is that I’ll ever be able to return the favors. It’s clear to me now that I missed an opportunity. Not that I could have offered any legal advice, or gone into high dungeon about the proper role of a free press in a free society. But, a simple note of support would likely have been welcomed, and certainly would have been better than nothing.

I don’t blame Ryan one bit for being disappointed in the general lack of response. The term “blogger community” is probably overstating what we have here. There are some loose-knit bands and temporary alliances, but no real community. In an effort to keep the conversation from fading away, I’d like to point out that along with freedom of speech issues and other high moral principles, there are some basic human principles to consider as well. Two of them would be giving back for what one has received, and sticking up for one’s friends.

It’s true the landscape has changed. It’s also true that we have it within our power to create what we wish, and one person can not build a community by himself.

About That Government Transparency

Nick Gillespie of Reason, has a video interview with Mike Pickett, CEO of Onvia, who has recently created a new website called Recovery.org. It is in direct competition with the Obama Administration's Recovery.gov, which to date is reporting exactly zero of the stimulus money it was meant to track. Officials say they hope to have something on the site sometime in October, or maybe early 2010. Onvia's site is already tracking over $40 Billion worth of stimulus money and estimate they will be tracking $100 Billion by October.

Onvia is in business to help small, independent contractors nationwide place bids for government projects. It's in their own self interest to provide a transparent accounting of the stimulus money. You can go to their website and call up any state, county, and/or city and watch the gravy train roll by. In the meantime, score one for the greedy capitalists.

Lockwood Goslings

I was out in Lockwood for part of the morning scoping out a spot for Episode 2 of "Tales from the Rue de la Noir." Normally, the geese there stay on the far side of the river where there's less people and no dogs. Today two groups came over to the near side. I got a couple of shots before the parents got nervous.

Tales from the Rue de la Noir

In episode 1, a classic masterpiece of Johann Sebastian Bach is taken out of context and cut to pieces for the puerile amusement of the global community.

On a personal note: My first effort is pretty sloppy, with lots of room for improvement, but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Towards a Tangible Value Economy

I don't know if it's the fact that politics has become too depressing for me, or my preoccupation with my new digital toys, but I'm still paying marginal attention to the news. On President Obama's plan to reduce the importance of Wall Street though regulation, my Libertarian Thought Leader of choice, Vox Day lays it out in one sentence:

So long as the paper money system exists, the easiest and fastest way to obtain more of it is to play paper games.

Regulating Wall Street beyond that of other markets, will only drive the brightest minds towards those other markets. The root cause of our dilemma is that the Federal Reserve Note has no tangible value. It is only an I.O.U. from the government to the people, based on the people's trust that the government will still be with us tomorrow, presumably to hand out more I.O.U.'s. It's difficult to see the government going anywhere any time soon, so the trust is maintained, if only slightly.

If, on the other hand, the dollar was backed by gold, silver, or any basket of commodities, it would take on a tangible value independent of anyone's level of trust. With a tangible valued currency, the best minds would gravitate to producing tangible assets, as that is where the most value would be. Manufacturing, intellectual property, even farming would assume a new importance. Who knows, newspapers might make a comeback.

It's an idea that used to work, and could be made to work again, if only our "leaders" would try it. What, real assets traded for real money with all having real value? Nah, just another wing-nut idea from the hinterlands.

Gosling Update

It's only been a week, and the goslings at Rancho San Rafael are noticeably bigger. They swim a little, nap a little, but mostly they eat.

The Specter Trade

Republican Senator Arlen Specter was traded to the Democrats today for an undisclosed amount of cash and a governorship to be named later. In a prepared statement, Coach Harry "Silver Tongue" Reid said of the deal: "Arlen's unique abilities to drone on and on without ever coming to a point will be very helpful in the upcoming health care debate. We welcome him to our team."

Not all Republicans were happy with the deal. Maine's Olympia "White Shoes" Snowe, after expressing disappointment in not being part of the trade said, "I hope this doesn't mean that it's going to be all principles all the time now. It's so tedious. I just don't understand it. What's the point of having principles if you can't ride around in a limousine the rest of your life?"

Republican coach Mitch McConnel stated: " We really wanted to make Olympia part of the deal, but we were up against the deadline and couldn't get it done. They were only willing to give up a county commissioner seat in DeBuque for her. We just couldn't make it happen."

Team Democrat now has a virtual "Murderers Row" of gasbags to overwhelm all opposition. Coach Reid even went on to speculate that after ramming through everything everyone ever wanted, they may try to make history by redirecting the course of a tornado later this summer.

Tales from the Rue de la Noir

I spent most of the weekend shooting meaningless and mostly unusable video. One of the places I went, for no particular reason, was Lockwood, up the canyon east of town. They're building a park there called Lockwood Trailhead. It looks like it will be pretty nice, once the landscapers are finished. I also saw another set of goslings, but the parents were nervous so I couldn't get a good shot of them.

As I was leaving, I drove into the town of Lockwood, which isn't really a town but a trailer park. It's not half bad, as trailer parks go, but I had to laugh at the street names. They're all in French. There's names like Avenue de Colours and Ave de la Argent. I believe that should be Ave de L'Argent, but what do I know. My knowledge of the French language is roughly equivalent to that of your average Trailer Park Planning Commissioner. Apparently, whoever names these things believes that fancy French names add glamour and status. They don't. They do however, force you to explain why you live on a street with an idiotic name. The conversation might go something like this:

Person 1: So, where you livin' now?
Person 2: I'm over on the Avenue Da Champs Da Leezay.
Person 1: (pause) What?
Person 2: I say I'm over on the Avenue Da Champs Da Leezay.
Person 1: (pause) Where the hell is that?
Person 2: It's the trailer park.
Person 1: Oh.
Person 2: Yeah, when you get there, just keep goin' straight and it's just past Rudy Culldisack Street.
Person 1: OK.

My personal favorite in Lockwood is the Rue de la Noir. I could imagine drunken dance hall girls careening down the dark, foggy street, and being a trailer park, may not be too far off the mark. Could a modern day Toulouse Lautrec be sitting in his driveway, painting portraits of lawn gnomes while discussing the philosophy of country music with his neighbors? Would the spectre of Edgar Allen Poe appear through the early morning mist? I don't know, but it's a great name for a video series. The challenge will be, to find something the least bit entertaining in Lockwood.

Reno's New Arrivals

Yep, it's definitely springtime.

Memo To The Grasshopper

I regret to inform you that your job as mascot of Local So-And-So is being phased out. You have done your duty well, my little friend, but the situation has changed. The world turns, and time is a friend to no living thing. It's not even a friend to a picture of a living thing. At least, I assume you were alive when your picture was taken. Anyway, plans for the entire stock photography library have been put on indefinite hold.

As I'm sure you're aware, the blogoshere being what it is, we all need to keep pace with the times. As we transition to original content, your arrangements in the hard drive will remain the same. Remember, communicators never say "good-bye", only "see you later,", or words to that effect. I will always admire your symmetry, your simple forthrightness, to say nothing of those cute little antennae. But we must part ways. Both you and the hippopotamus will still be invited to the company picnic.

Sincerely,

Local So-And-So
Purveyor of Fine Quality Social Media

Reid Fundraiser Protest Video

Duty called and I was stuck at work on Wednesday, so I missed the TEA Party protest. I managed to swing by the Harry Reid fundraiser later that day. It was reported that Republican Mayors Bob Cashell of Reno and Geno Martini of Sparks would be at the Democratic Senator's fundraiser. Naturally, a few Republicans were a little annoyed with that. Of course, I muffed the money-shot of Mayor Martini leaving the building with a sheepish grin on his face. Maybe it's just as well, unlike Mayor Cashell, Martini at least had the guts to exit from the front door.

Homemade Charts

Yeah, it's been quiet around here lately- a little too quiet. In between messing with my new camera, video editing demos, and format conversion programs, I've reached one of my long-term goals; making my own charts. My method was to start with the most grandiose idea I could imagine, and as the number of failures mounted, work my way down to the simplest thing possible.


This chart shows the Consumer Price Index (CPI) measured against the value of the 1793 dollar. In other words, if you had earned $100 in 1793, the first year of production for the US Mint, you could have bought $100 worth of stuff. But, if you had saved that money until 1794, how much stuff could you have bought then? What about 1795, 1796, and so on, until 2008.

There are several points of interest in this method that I'll be exploring in more detail later. One hears economists talk of the strength of the dollar today, but this is true only if it is measured against other currencies. It is a subjective value measured on a subjective scale. The year 1793 provides a point of reference for an objective scale. The dollar's value has always been, and will always be, subjective. It's the nature of the beast.

Japanese Robot Women To Invade Moon

Hardly a week goes by that I don't see a story regarding Japanese Robot Women. This time, they are preparing to land on the moon.

Photo from Drudge Report

I can think of only three reasons for the Japanese Robot Women phenomenon:

a) Japanese scientists really need to get out more
b) Critical equipment can only be located in the area of the bust line
c) Both a and b are true

I'm beginning to think the Japanese scientific community owes the world an explanation. Shouldn't the leaders of NOW be raising concerns about this? As yet, there's no word on whether or not the moon rocket will be equiped with dual nosecones.

And here's another one. A Japanese Robot Man, named "Adam" has made his own scientific discovery involving yeast enzymes. But, not to worry. Adam is only a prototype. Eve is under construction. According to her creator:

“Eve is better designed and more elegant.”

Well, being better designed kind of goes without saying, doesn't it fella's? And elegance, everybody knows Japanese Robot Men are obnoxious brutes. They can't even tell the difference between a soup spoon and a soup ladle. They'd probably drink out of the gravy boat if left unsupervised. Yes, better to send the Japanese Robot Women to check the place out and make sure it's OK for the Japanese Robot Children. There's no telling what the moon would end up looking like if the Japanese Robot Men landed first.

Speaking Truth To Power

There's been a welcome development on the freedom front lately. I've been a bit preoccupied with my new Flip video camera that I bought on Saturday ( more on that later). Last Thursday, Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister gave a speech at the European Union's Parliament. Daniel Hannon, a former journalist who is now representing south England in the EU, and OMG, he's a blogger too, responded.

This morning, Vox Day, who makes his living as a video game designer, posted an interview with Mr. Hannan. By way of a preview, an excerpt from the interview:

Day: Who are your intellectual influences with regards to economics? Do you go all the way back to Smith?

Hannan: Absolutely, I'm a very traditional Brit like this. I've got two busts in my office. One is Adam Smith, the other is Thomas Jefferson.

I'm not sure Jefferson would qualify as a traditional Brit, but I've got to like this guy. He sounds like my kind of journalist.

No Heroes In Tone Deaf Corporations

There's an excellent post over on Pajama's Media about the AIG bailout and its relation to the Titanic. It should be of interest to anyone interested in marketing, the current dissatisfaction among the citizenry, and historical research. It's written by Bill Whittle and compares the AIG Officers actions with those of the White Star Line after the Titanic sank. It is also a good example of what a great post looks like.

If you're feeling uneasy about all this bailout stuff, but are not sure why, you'll know after reading this.

Poker For Profit

The reviews are in and Treasury Secretary Geithner's newest plan to rescue the economy has been met with near universal disdain. The political left would rather see the banks nationalized, and object to the public/private aspect of the plan. The political right can't be in favor since, well, it's not their plan. It's essentially the same plan we had, but now that the other side is in charge, and have changed its name from TARP to TALF, we're against it. For a more non-ideological pedestrian view, we need to turn to the capitalists.

Tyler Durden writing for Seeking Alpha lays out the case in 8 logical steps. Better yet, in the comments section he gives insight into the mind of a true capitalist. The "non-recourse nature" he speaks of means that once the public/private entity buys an asset from a bank, the private investor has control of the asset.

Posted by Tyler Durden at 2:14 AM
The greatest bait and switch of this generation in all its visual splendor. As a result of the TALF's non-recourse nature, a hedge fund X can buy Bank X's MBS Portfolio which is marked on the bank's books at 80 cents on the dollar (but has a market price of 20 cents) for the marked price with a 3% equity check and TALF filling the balance. A day later, Bank X repurchases the portfolio from hedge fund X at the 20 cent market price, pays a $5 million fee for the "trouble" and waits for the portfolio to appreciate to 50 cents on the dollar by 2014. Hedge fund X takes a 75% loss on its nominal equity stake but more than makes up in transaction fees. The TALF portion takes a 75% loss with no recourse and no margin to fall back on.

As a result Bank X takes no writedown now, and in 5 years may book an equity profit of as much as $25 million (net of transaction fees paid to the Hedge Fund X), while Hedge Fund X books a profit of $3.2 million for one day's work...

Lastly the U.S. taxpayer loses $54.3 million on a $77.6 million TALF Investment, or 70% (net of 5 years of interest income).

Note: the maximum TALF size is $1 trillion. Will U.S. taxpayers suffer $700 billion in losses from the TALF? Ask your congressman.

And if you want to know why government intervention never works as advertised, or how the rich get richer, ask someone who stays up 'til 2 in the morning figuring out how to make $3 million a day.

Is The End Nigh, Yet?

March 18, 2009, I’m marking it on my calendar. Was that the day our president admitted to a high bowling score of 129? No. It was the day the Federal Reserve announced they would begin buying Treasury Bills. In effect, we are now loaning money to ourselves. There is only one reason why anyone would do this. Nobody else will loan us the money. Like an overzealous mall rat, we are paying off one credit card with another credit card. It is the last act of the soon to be bankrupt.

Ever since Hillary’s visit, the Chinese have been making public noises about their nervousness over our debt. They’re financing quite a lot of it and they have good reason to be nervous. With the currency being inflated, they won’t be getting the returns they were expecting when they bought in. Having taken our best customer to the cleaners, can we really expect them to come back for more?

There are stories circulating that the US dollar is going to lose its reserve status. It’s a subject you’ll be hearing more about once the upcoming G20 meetings get under way. Reserve status is a huge advantage to us. Not only do other countries buy dollars for emergency use, but also having our own currency as reserve, allows for all sorts of game playing with the debt. And boy have we been playing games with our debt lately.

Other countries resented us for it before, but now they are being pushed over the edge. Any group of countries can create a currency amongst themselves, and it looks like some are going to give it a try. Russia seems to be the ringleader. There is certainly talk behind closed European doors going on.

Here's what the metals have been doing through all this. The blue line shows the day before; stable and trending slightly down. The red line shows a spike up at the time of the announcement. The yellow line is the day after.


The same with silver:

I'm not quite ready to start walking around downtown with an "The End Is Nigh" sign, but a little metal under the floorboards might be a good idea, if you don't have some already.

Protest Government Spending

I'm not sure how readable this flyer is going to be, but there is going to be a protest against the money laundering going on in our government these days. It will be on April 15th, 10:30 to 1:30 in front of the capitol building in Carson City. All are welcome to join. You can find more info here.