Time passes quickly
It’s cruel, for it doesn’t bend
Wasted chances gone

When we utilize any gadget or means of comfort we know that these devices consume energy. But the energy is not utilized by devices. Some of the energy is lost in the form of friction or heat. For example when we are exploiting the power of computer processor chips, car engines or electric power plants there is a necessity of getting rid of excess heat otherwise the equipments will not perform at their optimal level. Now researchers are thinking about using this waste energy. Peter Hagelstein is the co-writer of this concept and an associate professor of electrical engineering at MIT. His paper was published in the November 2009 issue of the Journal of Applied Physics.

If this wasted energy is cleverly harnessed we might double the use of cell phones talk time without plugging them again and again for recharging. The same could be the case with our laptops; we don’t have to recharge them frequently and their wear and tear could be reduced too. The overworked and overloaded poor power plants can shell out more power if their wasted heat energy can be utilized.

Hagelstein is of the view that current solid-state devices that utilize excessive heat and convert it into electricity are not very efficient. He is working with his graduate student Dennis Wu as part of his doctoral thesis to find out a practically dependable heat energy converter that doesn’t carry forward its predecessor’s disadvantages. They are gunning for a realistic technology that could come to achieving the theoretical limits for the efficiency of such conversion.

Theory postulates that such energy conversion can never go over a precise value called the Carnot Limit. Carnot Limit was established in 19th-century. It is a formula for determining the utmost efficiency that any machine can achieve in converting heat into work. But the fact is in practice we have only achieved about one-tenth of that limit. Hagelstein working in close association with Yan Kucherov carried out experiments by going for a different technology. They have achieved the enviable efficiency as high as 40 percent of the Carnot Limit. Moreover, their statistics exhibit that this new kind of system could ultimately reach as much as 90 percent of that ceiling.

Hagelstein, Wu and others didn’t try to improve upon existing devices. They started afresh without any past baggage. They make use of a very simple system in which power was generated by a single quantum-dot device. That device is a type of semiconductor in which the electrons and holes are very securely restricted in all three dimensions. So they tried to understand all the features of the device. This helped them in understanding better all the aspect of such machine.

Hagelstein says that he doesn’t merely want to convert heat into energy but he wants to achieve this by getting lots of energy in return. He also admits that current technology is available to harness heat power, but with a catch. It is known as high-throughput power. It converts heat from a less efficient system and you get more energy. But this is larger and more expensive system. According to Hagelstein “It’s a tradeoff. You either get high efficiency or high throughput.” But the team found that using their new system, it would be possible to get both at once.

Hagelstein and his team studied a recent paper published by MIT professor Gang Chen carefully. They talked about lessening the gaps between hot surface and the conversion device. They suggested this arrangement as very crucial for improving the output. Gang Chen claimed that heat transfer could take place between very closely spaced surfaces at a rate that is orders of magnitude higher than predicted by theory. The new report admits going a step further that heat can not only be transferred, but converted into electricity so that it can be harnessed.

Robert DiMatteo heads a company, MTPV Corp. (for Micron-gap Thermal Photo-Voltaics). DiMatteo is willing to commercialize Hagelstein’s new idea. He is quite hopeful that the technology developed by his company could yield a tenfold improvement in output power over existing photovoltaic devices. He plans to market this technology next year. At the same time Hagelstein’s work would give the required push and an additional tenfold or greater improvement is possible.

DiMatteo presents his stats and says that worldwide, when we consume fuel or a powerhouse generates electricity nearly 60 percent of all the energy is wasted. This waste is generally in the form of heat. 60% is substantial amount. DiMatteo is now hopeful that this technology could “make it possible to reclaim a significant fraction of that wasted energy.”

Hagelstein is of the opinion, “There’s a gold mine in waste heat, if you could convert it. A lot of heat is generated to go places, and a lot is lost. If you could recover that, your transportation technology is going to work better.”

Today I scheduled 2010.  From January to November of next year I now have a specific something to achieve every month, with December as a holiday.  12 months; 52.1775 weeks; 365.2425 days; 8,765.82 hours; 525,949.2 minutes; 31,556,952 seconds.

Tad overwhelming to be honest.

Well, I say I’ve scheduled 2010… I mean I haven’t got every tick of every clock set in stone.  What I should say is that today I drafted the initial 12 month business plan for my soon-to-exist Repertory Theatre Company (more of which to come… eventually).  If all goes to plan then this time next year (to the day) I’ll be finishing a 6 month run of weekly rep devoted to classical theatre and new writing.  Bizarre.

I can honestly say that I’ve never attempted anything like as ambitious as this project, and have never put so much time or effort into developing or implementing  something.  Is this finally maturity?  Is it just boredom?  Ego?  Does it matter? Does the impulse behind something necessarily effect the outcome?  Is the creation independent of the creator?  What hold does a writer have over the story once it’s written?

I wonder where I’ll be in a year’s time.

On top of the Theatre Company I started a preliminary list of 2010 Resolutions (never managed to stick to any yet…):

1) Learn to appreciate opera
- (I’ve got a book and a CD and everything)
2) Write a blog entry every day
- (already annoyed with this commitment)
3) Write a children’s book
- (yeah, I don’t know where that one came from…)
4) Finish writing my Greek Tragedy trilogy
- (sounds dull.  Maybe it is.)
5) Make a start on my Ira Aldridge bioplay
- (if you don’t know who this is then either look him up on Wikipedia or wait a coupla years for me to finish the script… either way he’s pretty awesome)
6) Ditto the Sherlock Holmes play
- (you’ll find out about this one soon enough…)
7) Theatre Companyas
- (as I said, more on this eventually)

So far, so good.  Consequently, if all goes to plan, this time next year I’ll have founded and lead a succesful theatre company, produced and performed in six months of weekly London Rep, written the first draft of a children’s book, finished three plays and started two others.  I’ll be able to listen to opera and enjoy and understand it on a whole new level, and will have almost four hundred blog posts up with all the thoughts and feelings in each thought out and solidified for review.

Ambitious indeed.

The difficulty, I reckon, will not be so much in the doing, but rather in the not not-doing… if you get my drift.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I find it far too easy to just… Not Do.  When you throw in all the mindless television that balms and soothes (referring to the lowest common denominator here), the various social networking sites that bite at everyone’s heels (again, the majority, not the all) and quick, fatty, soulless takeaway meals… well, it really is far too easy to just… Nothing… to laze and stagnate and laugh at the Grotesques on X-Factor… to find out which 80’s movie star you’d be on Facebook… to fill your jaw with processed meat and MSG…

I’ve spent weeks, months doing nothing.  Hell, if you tot it all up we’re probably talking years.  Drifting along.  Nothing.

There you go: I’ve been on the phone for an hour since writing that paragraph, just talking about bugger all: Nothing.

In ‘The Stars Tennis Balls’ by Stephen Fry (an absolutely wonderful version of The Count of Monte Christo set in the 80’s) the main character makes a vow; something along the lines of: “He would no longer be a passive victim of events – from now on things would not happen to him.  He would cause things to happen to others, and fear would have no place in him”.  Or something along those lines, I don’t have a copy in front of me.

Anyway, I read that a year or so ago and it struck me as something special; something important and necessary.  I think I’m finally ready to put it into practise.

Guess we’ll find out in a year or so’s time.

One of the best green practices you can do in your home is waste reduction. This does not cost you a dime and will have a great impact on making your home and your life more sustainable. It is a fantastic step towards green building and sustainable living.

 To start, look at your containers. In South Florida you should have a single stream recycling bin (typically dark blue). This will take glass plastic, metal, paper, cans and bottles. What is single stream? Single stream is the opposite of multi stream and makes it easy for the end user to recycle. In essence, all your goods go into one container and will be sorted at the plant. The down turn of this method is that less of the actual material will be valuable in the recycling process as it was likely ruined by some of the other items it got in touch with. The benefit is that more people are doing it and more overall volume is recycled.

The alternative is multi stream collection. This is the way Germany and other countries are doing it and they place the “burden” of separating on the user. Typical items to separate are newspaper, plastic (such as yoghurt cups), glass (there is also a mount fee for most glass bottles in Germany), compostables and other waste. Collection of the varying items varies by day. This system works surprisingly well in Germany but has found some resistance in most parts of the US… one day we will change, too!

 So what can you do if you consider going beyond the single stream system or are left out of the system entirely for now? Do your own multi stream. To start, get a little kitchen compost and, if possible, a outdoor area to then compost. There are also simple balcony ready contraptions that work quite well for your compost. If you have more than 2 plants, you will most definitely be able to use the compost “in-house”.

Next, sort paper. If you are a heavy newspaper reading household, separate the newspaper and save it for cleaning or shred it to mix into your compost. Consider donating some of the higher quality magazines to schools and medical offices.

Glass containers can be reused in many ways. I like to use them to separate and store my nails and screws, but they are useful storage for so many items that tend to clutter our closets, pantries and basements.

 How about leaving potential rubbish at the store? Most of the non-compostable and non-recyclable waste we generate is packaging. Leave it with the vendor and make sure to bring your own bags. There is no excuse to use plastic bags anymore. All grocery stores, as well as many others, offer reusable bags for very affordable pricing. Once you have it, make sure you put it in a place where you will not forget it, such as your back seat (and by all means, express yourself with your favorite team logo, charitable organizations, business logo, etc…, the options are limitless).

…and one last word…about plastic bottles. Avoid them, same with bags. Recycling helps, but not using them will help transform the marketplace and save our planet. The damage done by wasted plastic bottles to the earth, the oceans and wildlife is getting out of control and accelerated many of the problems we are facing. Do your part to send a message to the manufacturers to stop making disposable plastic products.

Their blood will reign yet kings abandon their thrones
Leaving bemused queens raising princes alone
Takes more than bricks and mortar to be making a home
Yet they lay the foundations then to new projects they’ve flown
Declaring the season wasn’t right despite the seeds they’ve sown
Finding reasons to treat the field like a weed that’s grown
Their blood will reign yet kings abandon their thrones

Sitting pretty getting fed while queens cry alone
Declarations of kingship drown out weary groans
The kingdom is the queens for she builds alone
Who’s the king where’s the king the prince wants to know
Looking him in the eye as he sits on the throne
Where’ve you been what’ve you seen of my growth
Don’t you love me or really didn’t you want to know
Your blood will reign when you’ve been overthrown

Love can and will reign yet blood run will cold
For a king who ignored their heir till they were 20 years old
How can a king be a king when the queen ruled the throne?
He wasn’t even the power behind it he wasn’t a king at all
But to the queens who get big and want their kings dethroned
Check yourself to make sure your truly giving your all
To my kings who simply think that rulings a ball
Stop playing the game or your house will fall
A single mothers cry isn’t nice no, no
Fathers your blood will reign so take control of your throne

I was looking at one paystub and, after connecting the dots with what I’ve learned in Political Science, I realized that this system is not working. For that paystub, I paid $690 in taxes, to which $600 was allocated to lazy people and people who do not (either who can’t or who don’t want to) contribute to the economy or the wellbeing of all others. The same lazy people that ask me for change while free-riding the train and say “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” when free-riding the bus.
Humans are the only species that cultivate their own equals as social parasites.

TheDieLine.com has a post highlighting the Tap Water™ bottle designed by Racquel Youtzy. As I am no fan of the massive amounts of waste made by plastic water bottles (or the financial waste of purchasing even more water when I already pay my municipality for unlimited water service), I think these types of re-sealable glass bottles are a simple and elegant solution.

From muscle tone to precious resources, you can view this old favorite from several different perspectives.  In light of the upcoming Climate Conference in Copenhagen, let’s focus on the latter.  While I’m no advocate for the global warming crisis – because I believe it’s a bit presumptive of us to make such vast predictions based on the tiny window of time we humans have inhabited this earth – scientific “models” are just that: “models” – I think we can all agree there’s no sense in waste.  From frugal consumption to garbage disposal, we should all practice clean living habits, and be good stewards of our environment.  I mean, even a dog knows better than to soil his living space, shouldn’t we humans?

Call me a waste-not-want-not kinda gal, but this is a motto I can live by, starting with my morning java.  You’re already dispatching your leftover veggie omelette to the compost pile, how about your coffee?  Used coffee grounds are in high demand around my garden so once I’ve had my fill, the used grounds are scattered among the blueberries, raspberries, azaleas and gardenias – don’t fight kids, there’s enough for all of you! – and my rose bushes, too (you all can thank me later with a bounty of produce). 

stores easily under your cabinet

I even save the old coffee and dilute it with water, to make a spray for insects.  I recently read in an organic gardening magazine one woman had good results keeping the white files from her tomato and basil by doing so.  Granted, it’s not a scientific fact – remember, I tend to question these things – I figure if it worked for her it can work for me!  If it’s easy, the questions become less frequent.  And why not pour some around the base of your potatoes, while you’re at it.  They love acid, they should love coffee, right?

And don’t forget that newspaper you’re reading.  When you’re finished, use it as mulch along your walking rows to keep the weeds at bay.  I’d place mine (if I still took my news the un-green way) beneath the hay so I don’t ruin that lovely “welcome to the garden” feeling I get every time I gaze at my neatly lined rows of straw.  It’s the little things that please me most.  (Big smile, here.)  That, and productivity.  Don’t forget, there’s a reason I’m saving the earth via my garden:  I have mouths to feed and years to enjoy.

But don’t stop there!  After school, what water the kids don’t drink, dump the remainder of their thermos into your houseplants – not down the drain.  Same goes for juices, etc.  I use these in the compost pile, though liquid in the bin does add to the mess factor on the way out — kids are working to fine tune their balancing skills for this amazing feat — another positive side effect. 

However you manage it, I’m a believer in wasting nothing.  Not because science dictates such, but because it makes sense.  Common sense; something we strive for everyday in our household.  Otherwise, momma goes insane!

excrement casting aside, i peer

pungently rapid it seeps, breathing in the nostralis

waves of nostalgia for that day

on the land

where i – i – i ….and fail once more

breathe in some more in haste, don’t let that hatchling go

back into its shell

chronic mind waste, for shame shouts the deep dregs of pungance

little you can catch, but the tiny crackling of that, that, that,

oh shit

where has it gone, breathe in some more, expansive lung

pumping forget me nots to the crown

crown? crown? crown! steam engine back

falter, lay and roll….cast it right back

and sit amidst your smugly glow

for it was the crow

and the crow smelled you

wary companion

dead.

[*this was to be posted last week, but discovered that wordpress + twitter were still being unreachable while in china.]

viv and i got a chance to vist union church this past sunday (an english-speaking church where we attend whenever we’re in hk). it was a good sunday for us to be there. much was heard and digested (spiritually and physically) and still gestating in me (mainly the spiritual things now).
being away from seattle/home and our normal day-to-day routines we’ve sort of lost track of time… we’re no longer looking at clocks, outlook calendars, etc. and it’s weird but equally good for our soul! we find ourselves unsure of the day of the week or even the time of the month. that’s why it was both serendipitous and a bit sad when the welcoming pastor announced a thanksgiving feast/meal after service.
thanksgiving time already?!?!
has that much time passed?
my stomach was like: turkey, cranberries, sweet potato and pumpkin pie… YES!

BUT… it also meant the first time i’d be away from my immediate/extended family for the holidays and our time abroad will be coming to a close soon…
as the service continued, the senior pastor gave the message on mary’s (lazarus’ sister) act of breaking the bottle of nard/using her hair to wipe Jesus’ feet… and judas’ response to this display of worship. just having been in france and seeing the molinard museum and learning more about perfume/nard made the message that much more interesting to me.
i’m sure when judas voiced his concern/criticism to Christ it must’ve sounded legit and perhaps even justified… i mean c’mon… the loss of 300 denarii (if the nard had been sold instead of broken) and the money that could’ve been raised for the poor? almost a year’s worth of wages! the guy could’ve sounded downright saintly!
i’m fearful/concerned because i could’ve easily thought and/or said the same thing… i would’ve rationalized all the good and longer-lasting good that could’ve been done had the bottle been sold. BUT i realize judas as the treasurer had alterior motives behind the sale of the perfume:

john 12:6: “he did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.“

(i truly feel bad for judas… seems like his life/life choices were unfair/plain sucked.  :|)
anyway, back to mary and her simple act of reckless abandon. no second thought or guessing… taking such a valuable resource and using it to beautifully worship the Lord.
near the end of his message, the pastor invited up adrian merryman. a former investment banker and ceo of several companies who walked away from a lucrative career in the financial business world to focus on what God had placed on his heart as a young child… to use his resources to help the poor through opportunity international. to hear pastor greg anderson’s message and his interview with adrian, click here.
i’m so encouraged to be hearing of more and more grass-root movements/non-profs (thanks to the internet) being started by everyday folks who feel like they simply have to “do something“. and when i hear this i seemingly convince myself:

“when i get to ‘this point’ in life or ‘that point’ then i will do something“.

what the #@%! is wrong with me?!?! why is my heart/head not drop-kicked into action NOW? my inactivity is costing lives! do whatever i can NOW, however i can NOW!
i know i will struggle to continually find balance in my life. do i use my real-world business experience to get a job and make money and then to give charitably out of my earnings or do i work for a non-profit organization (and potentially not make enough for my mortgage) instead? can i find a balance and perhaps do both… and do it well?
i will continue to press on/struggle to be faithful in prayer and faithful in response to what the Lord calls vivien and i to do.

“Lord, no matter what… may my life be a reckless and beautiful act of worship to You and of service unto others.
amen.”

In the undeveloped countries where sanitation and clean sources of water are scarce, people become ill from drinking water often contaminated by human waste. In fact, a child dies every 15 seconds from this. In this age of ever advancing technology, it is certainly possible to prevent this. However, these poor countries do not have the money for the expensive systems.

The Peepoo Bag is a solutions available to these areas. It is simply a bag to do your bathroom in and after you’re finished, all you have to do is to cover it in soil. This biodegradable bag is coated with urea, a common fertiliser, which reacts with the feces or urine and starts to degrade. During this process, hygienisation begins from the increase in the  pH value and kills the harmful waste-born bacteria. The entire bag then acts as a fertiliser and helps the soil.  On top of its function as a fertiliser, the Peepoo Bag also eliminates the use of water that is used to flush the toilet and preserves a precious natural resource.

- Shota

Image : http://www.flickr.com

I'm shocked. Skin care cream can of toxic chemicals and reject parts of dead animals treated with acid.

And if you think this is bad, it gets even worse to come .. these things in skin care moisturizer can be found by some of the biggest beauty product brands.

I know this flies against what we are told, in the fashion ads in magazines. This erotic models give the impression that care cream will make you young, feel better, andhealthier.

What they will not reveal what is in the pot. And some of this level is dangerous. These things can have symptoms ranging from skin irritation to cancer.

Here is a list of 15 things that are avoided at all costs, as you look for skin care cream. Unfortunately, some of the most common ingredients in skin care products.

Acrylamide: not seeing you in the hand and face creams, as some are links to breast cancer research.

Alcohols such as ethanol, ethyl –Alcohol, methanol, benzyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol and SD alcohol. They dry out the skin, causing irritation and will wash away your natural protective oils of the skin you expose to the risk of bacteria, mold and viruses.

DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine) and TEA (triethanolamine): You will find them used to adjust pH in the skin care cream. There you will receive an eye disease, dry skin, and long term, can be toxic. They are banned in Europe.

Dioxane: (a synthetic derivative ofCoconut). This one's everywhere. A major component is 1,4-dioxane that is officially recognized to cause cancer.

Aroma: Just added to skin care cream a nice smell, but many ingredients are toxic or carcinogenic, the central nervous system and causes depression, hyperactivity and irritability.

Mineral oil: paraffin oil, paraffin, petroleum jelly is often used to seal moisture into the skin. In practice, they will clog the pores, and keep toxins in the promotionAcne, removing natural oils and skin so encouraging, dry skin and gives you an old look. But to use it because it's cheap.

Nitrosamines: You are carcinogenic.

Padimate-O: Even octyl-dimethyl is known, it is found in sunscreens. Researchers wonder whether the energy that is absorbed by the sunscreen into radicals. If so, this increases the risk of skin cancer.

Parabens: methyl, propyl, butyl and ethyl paraben – These are preservatives, so you can see how theyoverall. Studies suggest they may cause cancer and endocrine system of the body. Can also be some allergic reactions and skin rashes responsible.

Phenol carbolic acid, many lotions and skin care cream have them. It is dangerous. Can cause circulatory collapse, paralysis, convulsions, coma and even death from respiratory failure.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG): This is an emulsifier and humectant. Some researchers say it is carcinogenic.

Rancid naturalEmollients: Use a moisturizing cream, where the oils are cold pressed, because the natural oils from refining, which is produced very often, nutrients and leaves toxic trans-fatty acids removed. Also, note their age, and can go rancid as a moisturizing cream when they go past their use stored by date.

Toluene: This can be found in almost all artificial fragrances. Get too much and you are in danger, anemia, lowered blood cell count, liver or kidney damage. Research suggests overuse isRisk of a developing fetus. Be sure to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), benzoic acid and benzyl.

Triclosan: This is an antibacterial substance. Used in weed killers and a lot of skin care cream. Some studies suggest it can help, loads of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

That's a long, detailed list. So, do yourself a favor. Mail to the company you buy from your skin care cream and ask them if they contain any of these ingredients in their products. If they do not, you'reFine.

If they do, you need to find to another company with a conscious policy, the use of these nasties.

See Also : home skincarebeautys.blogspot.com hair.blogs.thaihealth.net nailsbeauty.wordpress.com

Potted Christmas trees are being sold as eco-friendly holiday adornments. This Carbonsync tree is sized for condos.(Carbonsync)Two Vancouver-area firms are hoping to capitalize on the concept of a “green Christmas” by renting out live potted evergreens for the holidays.

For about $100, both firms ? Carbonsync Christmas in Squamish and Evergrow Christmas Trees in Burnaby ? will drop off an evergreen at your door and then pick it up at the end of the holiday season.

Christmas trees that are cut down, by comparison, sell for $25 and up and are usually turned into mulch following the holidays. That’s a huge waste, Brad Major of Carbonsync Christmas told CBC News.

“What they’re doing now is they’re growing these hordes of trees everywhere in the Fraser Valley to ship in to Vancouver,” said Major.

“These trees grow anywhere from six to 12 years to be used for one Christmas, and all these trees go to the landfill, and it’s this huge pile of trees,” he said. “It’s like the biggest waste of a resource.”

After Christmas, the potted trees will be given to habitat restoration groups for replanting, said Major.

In Burnaby, Evergrow Christmas Trees is new to the potted-tree scene. It was started this year by two forestry graduates from the University of British Columbia, Sean Macalister and Jeff Ferguson.

For Macalister, it’s a return of sorts to a family tradition. He remembers Christmas always being celebrated with a live potted tree that was planted in the backyard afterwards.

Evergrow Christmas Trees was started by UBC forestry graduates Sean Macalister and Jeff Ferguson. (CBC) “This tree can be used over and over and then it gets planted after and it grows into a full-sized tree that will be here when we’re dead,” Macalister said.

His firm plans to return the trees to a nursery to be cared for until they get rented out again, and Macalister envisions families re-using the same trees Christmas after Christmas.

Ready or not, Santa goes digital this yearCanada Post struggles to innovate

Lynwood Center Bainbridge #2

This and yesterday’s images are from an abandoned development at Lynwood Center on Bainbridge Island.  This is the start of a personal project to document the results of unchecked growth.  I’m tired and appalled at the waste that the so called “property rights” movement has caused across North America and, by extension, China and most other areas of the developing world.

Although it would appear to be a result of the current economic problems, the fact is that we have over developed so much so that even if the economy had continued with unfettered growth, we would have far more retail space, restaurants, high end housing, and office space than could have been possibly filled or utilized. It’s a huge waste.  Of habitat loss.  Of material loss. Of labor lost.  And of miss directed investment dollars.   I hope to chronicle more, and to make it a personal photographic project throughout 2010.

Steve, a reader, corrected me that this is Lynwood Center, not Island Center.  Thanks Steve, and apologies to Island Center.

Did you know that water and other substances put into our neighborhood storm drains flow into Holmes Run and the Chesapeake Bay?

If you are interested in volunteering to help stencil the sidewalks above the storm drains of Lincolnia Hills with a message that warns against dumping pollutants, please contact the LH/HG blog via our contact page or email us at lhhgblog at yahoo dot com.

This stenciling project will be organized according to relevant regulations of the City of Alexandria. Volunteers will work with a water quality compliance specialist in the city’s Department of Transportation & Environmental Services.

Please consider lending a hand!

I’m still digesting last week’s Nashua Scrum Club meeting. As a technical writer, one of my roles in the organization is to be a user advocate, so I’m pondering the concept that “everything not adding value to the Customer is considered waste.”

I’ve been fan of the concept of kaizen or continuous, incremental improvement, for a couple of years now. Now I can add to that muda, the Japanese term for an activity that is wasteful and doesn’t add value or is unproductive. I wish I’d been exposed to lean principles last spring when I was talking to my manager about how I wanted to handle documentation bugs.

When I was hired last October there was a pretty big backlog of documentation bugs because 1) the company had been without a technical writer for six months before I was hired and 2) the Support manager had recently had the members of the Support organization read through the entire doc set and enter bugs and enhancement requests.

Since I’m a lone writer, I would prefer that when someone finds a simple typo (misspelled word, missing punctuation) that they simply e-mail me so that I can correct it. This would lead to a very simple workflow:

1. Employee sends an e-mail to the technical writer.
2. Technical writer reads e-mail.
3. Technical writer opens document files and fixes typo.

This workflow can lead to a simple typo being fixed within a few minutes of it being found. As a fan of efficiency, this is my preferred method of dealing with typos. If someone e-mails me a problem that takes more than five minutes to fix, it makes sense to create a documentation issue to track the work on that issue (and to make sure that it doesn’t fall between the cracks and get lost in my inbox).

However, my manager wanted to track ALL documentation issues, no matter how small, in our issue tracking system. This leads to a workflow like the following:

1. Employee enters an issue. Note that not all of our employees have permissions to create issues in our system, so the employee may need to find someone else to enter the issue for them.
2. The issue has to be triaged by one or more managers, assigned a priority and a target release, and assigned to the technical writer.
3. When the writer receives the automated e-mail that the issue has been assigned to them, they may have to go to the issue tracking system to view the issue.
4. Writer opens the document file and fixes the typo.
5. Writer has to go back into the issue tracking system and change the issue status to “fixed” and then assign it to the QA manager. Because I don’t generate PDFs on a daily basis, this may not happen until days or weeks after I’ve actually fixed the typo.
6. QA manager assigns the issue to a QA tester to verify that the issue has been fixed. Sometimes this doesn’t happen until we are nearing a patch release, as the testers are testing code, not checking that typos have been corrected.
7. QA tester checks the documentation and closes the issue.

This was the workflow that we used at one of my previous jobs, where I was a member of a large doc group and the writer responsible for any particular document might change at the end of a release. But since I’m the only writer at my current job, and typos aren’t something that I need other members of the team to assist me in correcting, it doesn’t make sense to me to have so many people involved in verifying whether or not a word was spelled correctly or a period was added at the end of a sentence. Instead of a process that takes two people and five minutes, my manager wanted a process that involved at least seven people and could possibly take days or weeks to complete.

This just seems wasteful to me and not very Agile.

How do other lone writers, who don’t have peer reviewers or editors, handle editorial tasks? Especially in an Agile environment?

A Bristol man celebrates a year of living without money by holding a festival which advocates frugal living…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: food. For a different topic see watch types. The blog is also related to: food.

As a presidential candidate, I thought Ron Paul was a little too far off the reservation.  But as a Libertarian/Conservative/NON-LIBERAL congressman he is rather effective at bringing certain issues to the forefront.

This is one of the issues that I think is WELL worth supporting.  Millions, Billions, and even Trillions of our dollars are going Lord only knows where with ABSOLUTELY NO ACCOUNTABILITY.

It’s time for the government, and the Fed, to account for EVERY PENNY.

I encourage you to support this measure in any way you can.  Donate money, call/write/fax/e-mail/visit your elected officials, inform as many others as you can about this issue, whatever you can spare.

Trillions of dollars are being stolen from the U.S. taxpayer.

Right now, you and I are seeing the worst plundering of a country’s wealth in the history of civilization, led by an out of control Federal Reserve.

But together you and I CAN put a stop to it all.

With your help (including submitting the petition linked below to your Congressman and Senators) today, Representative Ron Paul, Senator Jim DeMint and Campaign for Liberty are ready to fight back, by taking the battle straight to the heart of the problem — the Federal Reserve itself.

Just think about the scope of the problem for a minute: The massive, outrageous amount of dollars committed to the economic bailouts in recent months totals:

More than the socialist New Deal … More than the entire Iraq debacle … More than the 1980’s savings and loan mess … More than the Korean War …

COMBINED.

When will it all end?

It’s time you and I put a stop to a renegade Federal Reserve by exposing the Fed’s out of control actions to the American people. And Congressman Ron Paul and Senator Jim DeMint have a bill before Congress to do just that, known as the “Audit the Fed” Bill (HR 1207 and S 604).

That’s why it’s vital you click here to submit your “Audit the Fed” petition in support of Congressman Paul’s bill.

You see, Audit the Fed already has almost 300 cosponsors!

Now is the time to make sure your Congressman and Senators feel the heat to support the Audit the Fed bill!

If you and I don’t act today, I’m afraid this crisis will end with the economic ruin of every man, woman and child in America.

Today, nearly 13 TRILLION in taxpayer dollars in bailouts and loans has been agreed to by Congress, the Bush and Obama Treasury Departments, and the out of control Fed.

So is it really any wonder more and more folks are starting to realize the Washington, D.C. establishment is hurtling us toward complete economic disaster?

Whether it’s watching a phony “stimulus” package get rammed into law or watching Congress pass a $700 BILLION bank “bailout” under threat of martial law, the American people are agitated and increasingly angry.

That means it’s a perfect time to unleash the pressure of MILLIONS of outraged Americans on the out of control Fed!

So please click here to sign the petition linked below urging your Congressman and Senators to cosponsor and seek roll call votes to pass the Audit the Fed Bill!

As I know you’re aware, the Federal Reserve is shrouded in secrecy.  Their meetings are off-limits to the public.  Their inner workings are off-limits to the public.

And just recently, the Federal Reserve told Congress “NO WAY” when asked to account for $2 TRILLION in taxpayer-backed loans!

Well, why do you think they refused?

They know coming clean with Congress and the American people on how they doled out that two TRILLION dollars would result in an anti-Fed firestorm.

So can you imagine the impact of a full-scale audit? You and I will finally be able to show the American people that the Federal Reserve System leads to:

*** Constant economic crises — the housing crisis and the resulting chaos is just one example of an economic bubble created by centrally-planned interest rates and money manipulation;

*** The destruction of the middle class — as fuel, food, housing, medical care and education costs soar, everyone who is NOT on the government dole is forced to make do with less as the value of their money slowly decreases;

*** Currency destruction — history shows us that riots, violence and full-scale police states can result when people finally realize our money isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on and REFUSE to accept it.

And unless you and I do end the madness in Washington, D.C., we may be closer than we’d like to think to learning that history lesson firsthand — right here in our own streets.

That’s why your commitment to helping pass the Audit the Fed Bill — and helping Campaign for Liberty fight this battle — is so vital.

Just a few months ago, there was no chance of passing any legislation like the Audit the Fed Bill.  So I guess there has been one “CHANGE.”

You see, with the piling up of trillions of dollars in out of control “bailouts” of Wall Street and international bankers, even many politicians in Washington want to show you they’re “being responsible.”

What better way for Congress to do this than by auditing the Federal Reserve to account for the trillions stolen from the U.S. taxpayers?

More and more Congressmen are already feeling the pressure and are signing up to support this bill.  I’ve even received word this bill could move in the next few weeks in the U.S. House.

When that happens, you and I must be ready to fight.

And, it’s both a bill we CAN pass, and one that is vital to exposing the massive corruption and dollar manipulation at the Federal Reserve.

You see, after regulating, taxing, spending, borrowing and printing us into what looks like the worst recession in decades, establishment politicians and power brokers are assuring us they’re working hard to “fix” our economic woes.  What is their solution?  You guessed it.  More of the same!

And even if the Audit the Fed Bill is defeated this time, just forcing a vote is a win/win situation.

Can you imagine how many politicians will pay the price at the ballot box in 2010 when you and I tell the American people their Congressman somehow lost trillions of taxpayer dollars and refused to even LOOK for it?

…

Sincerely,

John F. Tate
President

P.S. Please submit the petition urging your Congressman and Senators to cosponsor and seek roll call votes on Rep. Ron Paul’s Audit the Fed Bill TODAY!

They are now setting a new waste legislation in Finland. But, it doesn’t happen in a day or two, and there are few challenging things to settle on. One of them is money; let’s say couple hundred million euros.

Mr Risto Saarinen, the leading expert in waste issues in Finnish Environment Institute, says that we produce 70 million tons of waste in a year in Finland. Our municipal waste amount is about 2,5 million tons.

”There are over one billion euros moving with the waste”, tells Saarinen. “And I tell you that there are a couple hundred millions in the municipal waste too. And they have been arguing, or should I say there is a war going on, who is finally having the right to collect this garbage, and this money.”

After one year, in December 2010, Finland has the new legislation for waste management. The schedule is set by EU with the waste directive.

The coming waste directive has set new recycling targets as well. By 2020, member states of the European Union must recycle 50 percent of their household waste and 70 percent of their construction and demolition waste. About two thirds of the municipal waste is generated in households. Within service industry, the biggest waste producers are trade and healthcare sectors.

Several surveys indicate that Finns are eager to recycle but they need more information about the means and ways of re-using waste. There is something to start with and soon. Finns have already adopted the recycling of organic waste that forms one third of the household waste.

“The organic waste can be composted in plants or it can be decomposed. Depending on the processing method, the waste turns into energy or soil enrichment material. On dumping grounds it rots to methane which can be exploited as energy in gas plant”, clarifies Head of the Consultation and Communications Unit, Riitta-Liisa Hahtala.

In 2007, 26 percent of municipal waste was recycled in Finland. So, there is still a lot of catching up to do. Nowadays, 60 percent of municipal waste ends up on dumping grounds. That has to change.

Still, the fact remains that amount of waste is growing each passing year. The amount of waste has correlated with the growth of gross domestic product but European Union aims to alter it. The situation is already changed in the Helsinki metropolitan area, also called YTV area.

Markus Haapamäki
Kirsi Ristaniemi
Annette Saksman

Hey, Fat America! While you’re stuffing yourself until you need to buy plus-size jeans, you should note that on average, Americans toss out 40% of the food they buy. Happy Thanksgiving!

U.S. residents are wasting food like never before.

While many Americans feast on turkey and all the fixings today, a new study finds food waste per person has shot up 50 percent since 1974. Some 1,400 calories worth of food is discarded per person each day, which adds up to 150 trillion calories a year.

Here’s a link to the full article. Our favorite section is the part called “Growing Problem.” HEY-O! Good work, editor!