Folks are sitting up and taking notice:
Seen near Linden, AZ . . .
Thanks to an advertiser who wishes to remain anonymous, cars and trucks on Arizona Highway 260 in East Central Arizona are driving by a billboard advertisement that recently went up, bearing President Obama’s face on a mock U.S. $100,000,000,000,000 (One-Hundred Trillion Dollar) bill.
A couple of years ago, we signed up for a wireless modem from AT&T. The entire time we had the service, it was disappointing, to say the best. Today, on our current trek to the new home, we set out to transfer our wireless services to a local Verizon vendor. I signed up for their MiFi intelligent WIFI hotspot.
I brought the device back to the motel where we’re staying and got it set up. Last night, in the very same spot, the old AT&T device had no signal. Tonight, the MiFi has five bars and both Damsel and I can connect to it. In fact, this post is being transmitted through it in it’s wireless mode (direct modem connect is also an option).
I will have to try this Internet connection solution a number of places before I can unequivocally recommend it, but tonight it’s doing a great job.
We’re in our new town in Arizona today. While Bob was in the post office doing business there, I went out to the cactus garden in front to photograph some of the cacti. There was one saguaro cactus in bloom whose flowers created a little window for the sunlight. I think this is a nice, artistic expression of the beauty inherent in desert plant life. Click on the image to enlarge.
Sixty-six years ago, the invasion of Normandy began. My Dad was an electricians mate aboard the USS Brooklyn light cruiser, whose 5 and 6 inch guns softened targets in France so the Allies could do their thing. Dad came back from the War, but many did not. Take a moment today to remember those selfless, brave men that chiseled out our victory in Europe.
We took a trip to the home improvement center a couple of days ago. There were so many beautiful flowers that I photographed in the garden shop that it was difficult for me to pick one out. I selected this bright red hibiscus to share with you on this late spring day. Click on the image to enlarge.
A workman from SoCal Edison installed a new SmartConnect™ electric meter on our residence today. The power outage was only a few seconds after the workman waited until the computers could be shut down. Other than resetting a couple of clocks, there was not much impact to us.
According to the brochure (pdf), the new meter eliminates the need for meter readers, since it communicates with the power company to report usage data. It’s sorta big-brotherish too, because of the two-way communications implications and wireless connection to “smart” appliances in the household. I’m not saying they will do it, but there is a real possibility that they will be able to shut off your air conditioning and other stuff. Given the current nanny attitudes state and federal officials have, we could be headed there.
From the brochure:
Smart meters collect hourly energy use data for the home and are capable of two-way communication. This means they can send and receive energy use and cost information from the home to the utility and back again, all through a secure wireless network.
Smart meters are also equipped with wireless radio chips inside to support home area networking. This will make it possible for the meter to communicate with “smart” appliances and devices, such as smart thermostats and refrigerators.
Emphasis mine.
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer answered a letter from Senator Charles Schumer (D – NY) with a letter of her own. In it, she wrote the following comparison:
“Calling for comprehensive immigration reform before securing the border is like asking for comprehensive energy policy reform before stopping the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.”
I love the simple logic of stopping two types of leaks of disastrous proportion with identical procedures – plug the leaks first.
Read her letter – it contains an outline of her immigration plan.