Ped Power

From Wired:

"We can harvest between 5 to 7 watts of energy per footstep that is currently being wasted into the ground," says Claire Price, director of The Facility Architects, the British firm heading up the Pacesetters Project. "And a passing train can generate very useful energy to run signaling or to power lights."

Like solar and wind proponents, vibration harvesters argue that abundant, clean energy is all around us and goes to waste. The challenge is how to store the power efficiently so it provides a continual output even if the vibrations from footsteps or passing trains temporarily taper off."

Energy is abundant, if we can harness the vibrations of feet walking, just think how much power we could generate from say ocean waves, gravity...even earthquakes....how about lightning? Energy is all around, it's just a matter of harnessing and storing it. Battery technology and the power grid are two areas where we should spend more money and make revolutionary improvements that will set us free from fossil fuel.

Bono Blows for Murdoch

"NEW @U2 BONO HEADS TO THE BEACH
July 28, 2006
posted by: m2

Bono will deliver the keynote address next week at the annual management conference put on by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The event starts Sunday in Pebble Beach, California -- not open to the public, sorry. Other speakers on the agenda include California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator John McCain, former Vice President Al Gore, and Bill and Hillary Clinton."

Impressive list of speakers, and of course the Bono is the keynote. Line them up!

Two Peas

Two Peas
Originally uploaded by watts4u2.

Watts



from the Clie

3rd try

3rd try
Originally uploaded by watts4u2.

for the watts4u2 blog

Who's a Hero?

"Thomas Carlyle, the 19th-century Scottish historian, said: "Society is founded on hero worship." Historically, that may once have been true. It may even be true of other societies today. It certainly isn't true of America. We are a society of celebrity worshipers, voyeurs of the rich and famous. We are infatuated by celebrities. We idolize them. We grovel in their presence. We try to look and be like them. We mistake them for heroes. To most of us, who you are and know is much more important than what you do or stand for.

Celebrities, though, are qualitatively quite different than heroes, markedly inferior to them in fact. The celebrity is nothing but a person of celebrity, well known for his well-knownness (as historian Daniel Boorstin put it), famous for being famous. Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, and Walter Cronkite are celebrities. Michael Jordan, Barry Bonds, and Tiger Woods are celebrities. So too Bill Gates, Ted Turner, and Donald Trump, Bob Dole and Jesse Jackson, even John McCain and Colin Powell.

Heroes, in contrast, are transcendent, mythic, seemingly superhuman figures who combine greatness with goodness. They may have charisma, presence, and "gravitas"; they must demonstrate courage, vision, and character—selfless character. Heroes have stature, if not size. Nelson Mandela and Vaclav Havel come quickly to mind."

Interesting read on our culture of celebrity. I couldn't help but e-mail the author and suggest Bono.... here's the reply:

"Indeed, Bono is more than just an entertainer. He's doing good deeds. Not sure he's of heroic stature--yet, anyway--but maybe that will come.

Thanks for the thought,

Greg F."

Live from Port City

Live from Port City
Originally uploaded by watts4u2.

From the NZ90

From the NZ90
Originally uploaded by watts4u2.

Photo test webmail...

Photo test webmail...
Originally uploaded by watts4u2.

clie wifi test

Here is an attempt to post from the NZ90 via wifi, wish me luck!

Bono, Gore & Edwards Slay Hillary

The new Alternet poll has some interesting results:

"Gore, whose popularity appears to be growing with the success of his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, received 35 percent of the vote, followed by Senator Russ Feingold at 20 percent and former vice presidential candidate John Edwards at 11 percent. Wesley Clark received 4 percent, and John Kerry and Mark Warner 2 percent.

The big surprise in the survey is that Senator Hillary Clinton, whom many in the corporate media suggest is the front runner for the nomination, only received 7 percent of the vote. ...

...In other poll categories, Bono topped the charts as Most Effective Celebrity with 35 percent, followed by George Clooney at 20 percent. Susan Sarandon nipped her partner Tim Robbins 7 percent to 5 percent while the Dixie Chicks received 6 percent of the vote."

I still like Edwards.

Tattooed Love Heels

First picture from the 'new' camera/PDA combo, Clie NZ90
(with some Photoshop help)

We Wuz Robbed!!!

Saturday, either at Chuck E Cheese or Toys-R-Us, someone swiped my gadget bag from the wife's Volvo while we were at a birthday party. Talk about party poopers! Good-bye old Clie TG50 and 3.2 Sony Cybershot, along with all my memory sticks.

Buy Bono's Benz

It's on E-bay