Be Infectious - A truly Inspiring Reminder

What in life may have crushed the creative spark inside you?

Can you get it back?

This little movie really made me think -- about making sure I praise my children and tell the their 'faults' are their strengths -- and about trying to find out whatever happened to that part of me. How did I lose it? Where did it go?

Can I ever get it back?

Can You Make Money Blogging on Blogger?

Can You Make Money Blogging on Blogger?:

An online article that claims making money using Blogger is possible.

The main premise of this statement is to have a solid offer and a good mailing list.

Would that it were true! I've been at this a year, and I supposedly have had nearly 1,000 page views. But only a handful of comments and no followers.

Wonder what this guys says on his blogs?

A Tip from Robert G. Allen
A metaphor resonates

I recently read Robert G. Allen's One Minute Millionaire. He's a financial writer, who has written numerous books on wealth creation. He also claims to have made millions in real estate, back in the Seventies I think.

A metaphor he used struck me. Allen said that every dollar should be viewed as a 'seed' -- a money seed.

That made an impression.

In nature, a seed grows only if it is in good soil and receives sufficient water, sunshine, and nutrients. In nature, it's hit or miss, isn't it? An acorn falls and may sprout and take root, or it may not. Which is why trees must produce so many.

But in a garden, the gardener adds important differences: intention, and attention.  The gardener plants each seed the the intention of seeing them grow and produce. She adds her special attention, weekly perhaps, or perhaps monthly, tending her seedlings until they mature and produce.

So in our financial matters we must carefully plant our money seeds with the intention of seeing them produce more seeds -- interest or capital gain. We must remain attentive, making sure the money seeds receive sufficient nutrients, such as an experienced fund manager.

I was talking to my daughter recently. She told me that she looked to me to provide her with financial advice. I was pleased. Here was a seed of another type. Since I can recall, I talked to her about careful use and investment of money. She seems to get it. She's young yet. Time will tell.

Now I will try to tend to the 'money gardens' I have planted. These include:

•  My regular job -- my day-to-day bread-winning work, which I enjoy and hope to continue doing until retirement (whenever that is).
• My house (now that spring is here, the place needs mending, painting, cleaning to retain its value).
• The tiny investment fund that I have, which I have split half and half between large cap type investments and bonds.
• My writing, which I hope will produce an additional income stream some day, one I can rely upon in the future.

Cluttered Mind ... Music from the other side of the digital divide

This one is very interesting, and not just because my son created it!

It is very rich in its tones and plays out its melody with a lot of pleasant variations. Reminds me of Cluster, a little.

Here's a piece created by a very talented young person, who has figured out that electronics has liberated him from the need to follow the traditional corporate route to a musical career.

in reference to: ▶ A Cluttered Mind Doesn't Solve Anything by s7y1u5 (view on Google Sidewiki)

Network Marketers site

I have to say I am impressed by how often Michael issues a tweet, and he seems to blog everyday.

Here are a bunch of comments on his blog, which all seem to be very enthusiastic!

in reference to: Comments for Michael Cole's Internet Network Marketing (view on Google Sidewiki)

Og Mandino's Books and Audios Have Been a Personal Source of Inspiration and Motivation

I  personally recommend these books and audios. In terms of helping me become more positive about myself and my ability to control my destiny, Og Mandino's easy to read and understand tales and parables have been a source of authentic guidance in the area of self help.


I recommend these, from Amazon.A Better Way to Live: Og Mandino's Own Personal Story of Success Featuring 17 Rules to Live By

Oblique = Indirect
A strategic approach to getting out of a rut

When my imagination gets stuck, I try this online tool -- Oblique Strategies generator, derived or based on the product of the same name developed by Brian Eno, the English rock and ambient musician.

In reference to: Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies -- Random Generator (view on Google Sidewiki)

The value of this tool is that it challenges me -- I often get stuck when trying to find a new way to improve myself, my work, and my outreach to others. A 'rethink' is often in order.

What is also good is it allows me to use music as away to expand my ideas. I listen to a lot of Ambient music,  which blends classical and electronica and popular music into something 'new.'

America's Future is Natural Gas

An articulate article explaining how the nuclear crisis in Japan will continue to lead us in the direction gas fired electrical generation.

Renewables will play a smaller role because they are not baseline power plants.

Roger Conrad writes numerous articles about the utility industry. They are worth reading.

in reference to:

"America’s energy future is natural gas:"
- Japan's Nuclear Crisis and America's Natural Gas (view on Google Sidewiki)

Deepwater Drilling Picking Up

The DOI issued its 5th Deepwater Oil Drilling permit since February 2011, when the started issuing them again.

The Obama administration lifted the ban on deepwater drilling in October 2010, after calling a temporary halt to drilling after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

More domestic oil production will lessen the US dependence on foreign oil imports.

in reference to: Interior picks up pace of deepwater permits - The Hill's E2-Wire (view on Google Sidewiki)

Nuclear Energy, Neutron Beams, & Experiments Gone Wrong

This summarizes two important and interesting facts about the Fukushima Daiichi plant accident and nuclear energy experiments.

1. The Fukushima event may have produced a neutron beam. These are signs that the damaged nuclear fuel rods may have cong supercritical and released radiation.

2. The history of a handful of really interesting events in the early days of the application and demonstration of nuclear, during which researchers accidentally exposed themselves to lethal doses of radiation.

Now, I still think energy efficiency is a better alternative to nuclear energy.

in reference to: Tickling the Dragon’s Tail | Progressive Lever (view on Google Sidewiki)

Inspirational Quotes

This is a page I recommend -- mainly for the content, which is inspirational and motivational in nature.

It includes Ben Franklin and Abe Lincoln, as well as Frank Bettger, the author of How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling.

It reminds me that I have some inspirational quotes of my own to add to my blog.

in reference to: http://morganj428.blogspot.com/2011/02/frank-bettgerss-how-i-raised-myself.html (view on Google Sidewiki)

Side Wiki Definition - Links to Social Media

The part I found interesting about this answer is that it addresses the issues of social media immediately, and provides examples. I wasn't aware Amazon had an answers page like this.

in reference to: What is Sidewiki and what does it have to do with Google? (view on Google Sidewiki)

Energy Efficiency: Being on the Losing End

If you've been practicing energy efficient for years, are you going to be penalized?

I found a slightly boring article about energy efficiency and 'demand response' (the links lead to Wikipedia pages that define these topics in greater depth).

Definition time:

Energy efficiency is simply using what we have as productively and as cost-efficiently as possible, for whatever benefit you value -- such as lower utility bills or faster economic growth. Demand response involves managing your energy use (not necessarily reducing it, however) in direct response to market conditions, such as price or availability of supply).

Utilities have invested in both for decades. And for years they've been giving away money to businesses and homeowners (usually not renters) as a way of encouraging users to modify their energy use behaviors. Typically in the 1980s, the goal was to avoid building expensive generation facilities -- studies in California showed that the cost of a conserved kilowatthour was less than the cost of building a power plant to generate a new kilowatthour.

By the 1990s, everyone got slap-happy around deregulation -- the notion being that we'd all happily pay more of our hard-earned money to 'entrepreneurs' who would find some magical and innovative way to encourage us to lower usage.

That didn't happen. Nearly everyone stuck to their utility companies rather than switch to some untested and untried and usually more expensive unregulated free marketeers. Which in the end was probably a good thing, because Enron was often held out as a shining example of the type of company we should want to buy our therms and kilowatthours from.

This article (found here) included a lament from a senior citizen (do people our age really want to be labeled as such?): Since he'd already been actively and voluntarily reducing his energy usage through conservation techniques, he will 'lose' because utilities will now start handing out more dollars to aggressively encourage those people who have not made any effort to change.

I think he is only partly right. I know that utilities have been offering these various cash incentives since the 1980s, when I got into the business.

In addition, in the 1970s the US and State governments started providing tax credits for numerous energy efficiency investments.

So the opportunities to take advantage of these types of programs -- such as refrigerator rebates, time-of-use electric rates, voluntary group load curtailment programs, and so on -- have been there for a long time.

Sadly, during the 1990s some of these programs were reduced because the 'experts' (many allied with investment bankers) convinced regulators that 'free market' principles could be applied to electricity and natural gas utility services, magically driving down the price of energy while simultaneously producing financial incentives to conserve energy or use renewable energy. [Now where is the logic in that? If prices go down (they didn't), what would be the 'incentive' to spend more money than you have to on a more expensive and more energy efficient air-conditioner?]

I think the best recourse is to advantage of whatever program you can now. If you apply for a program, and you qualify, then you get a double benefit -- you lower the amount of money you give to your utility, and you get some of it back.

And if you don't qualify, you are still lowering the amount of money you give to your utility. That's important. There seems to be less and less money to go around; I see no reason to pay more for something you value -- lighting, warmth, computers -- than is absolutely necessary.

And for people who tell you to not conserve because rates will go up if you do: rates are going to go up no matter what. (As an example of why they're going to go up, think about how old the power lines or gas lines are leading up to your home; 60 years? 40 years? 20 years?) These are all going to be replaced -- and the cost of replacing them is going to be greater than the cost of installing them originally. Those replacement costs are going into your bills.)

So you are better off conserving now. Your utility bill will be lower than it otherwise would be.

Saving Energy Increases Consumption--True

Interesting article in the New Yorker late last year about the very real paradox that increases in energy efficiency tend to increase (rather than decrease) the rate energy consumption.

Check out the article at http://twoak.com/azaeg. It was written by David Owens, a New Yorker staff writer since 1991.

This is a true and measured effect, and I think we all know it to be true in our personal lives: for instance, when I saved money on my heating bill (after replacing my very old inefficient windows) I saw my energy bill reduce about $8-$10 a month on average. I can assure you I used that extra money to run my furnace longer this year during this extremely cold winter.

There appears to be a sense that energy efficiency is a waste of time, and money.

I think this is a mistake.

The benefit of energy efficiency investments is to give homeowners and businesses a way to increase the value -- to them -- of the energy they consume. This could result in a decision to lower energy consumption overall and either divert the savings to your bank account or to spend it on more food or to increase energy use by installing decorative outdoor lighting.

In the end, this is good for the individual and well as the overall economy. Power plants are expensive, credit is tight, and increasing efficiency is the same as increasing productivity.

Jeremy Grantham Interview - CNBC.com

This is an important interview that I found on a website called Investment Postcards.

Grantham has been in charge of institutional investing for a long time. He offers what appears to me to be a very straightforward examination of the recent activity of the Fed -- the so called QE2.

He notes that there will be a stock market bull run as a result. He also notes that we are in dangerous territory in terms of future inflationary pressure as well as in alienating our foreign trade partners.

Finally -- and this I think is critical and too often overlooked -- he clearly states that the US Government's stimulus package was too small. The US Government should be investing in infrastructure projects and putting a lot of people now unemployed back to work.

He really is emphasizing the need for the US to spend government on JOBS.

What energy efficiency and public power infrastructure projects could we be investing in?

Success - My Road Map

I have not the luxury of eternity. Yet, I must practice patience. Nature never works in haste. -- Og Mandino quote

I have neither the knowledge nor experience to achieve greatness, to achieve my goals, to achieve dreams. So I will follow the principles of success ...

What are those principles?

1. To start fresh -- today I will begin a new life.

2. To greet each day, each person, each challenge with love. Without love, I will fail even though I may possess all the world's knowledge.

3. To persist until I succeed. I will try and try and try again and put yesterday's failures behind me. I will persist. And I will succeed.

4. I will recognize that I have a unique purpose. I will imitate no one. I will proclaim my uniqueness. I am nature's greatest miracle!

5. I will live this day as though it were my last.

6. I will become a master of my emotions. I will master myself.

7. Never will I become so self-involved, so important, so powerful as to forget to laugh at myself. I will cultivate a sense of perspective.

8. I will aim high and multiply my value a hundredfold. I will always strive to make the next hour better than the last.

9. I will act. Now.

10. I will pray ... for patience, wisdom, courage, love, and compassion -- and to develop the abilities that will match my opportunities.

By using these principles each day as my guide I will reach my goals!

These ideas were written by Og Mandino in a great little book, The Greatest Salesman in the World. But these principles may be applied to any profession or avocation. They need not be limited to sales.

This weblog will be changing over time, expanding from energy efficiency to cover other subjects -- including personal development. Stay tuned!

(For a copy of Mandino's book, check out Amazon

Monday After Changing to Standard Time

Now that time in most of the USA has switched back to 'standard' time, have you noticed how easy the day was today?

Fewer folks on the road, and the kids were able to get to school while there was still plenty of daylight.

Anyone notice whether this fall is warmer than in the recent past? I've kept the thermostat down, as a result. I think the furnace ran only twice this season.

All of this will result in lower utility bills for us. I hope for you, too.

Changing Tone

You'll note that I've changed the tone of this blog. I'm not on a mission to save the world from inefficiency -- just going to make my contribution at a slower pace.

Looking for a New Refrigerator?

Don't forget to ask for your rebate from the utility

You're losing money if you don't check this website for rebates that utilities pay out if you replace your old refrigerator. My utility paid me $25 to junk my old unit. That was sweet!

What's more, my new unit is larger, and more efficient. So I am getting more for the same amount of money.

So check out the Energy Savers website (http://www.energysavers.gov/financial/70022.html) to locate your utility and find out just how much you might be owed.

Bright Lights of Tinsel Town to Go Out for One Hour

"Earth Hour" Takes Place March 27 8:30 PM Local

One effective way to lowering utility bills is to simply not turn on an appliance when it isn't needed.

What about turning off your lights for only 1 hour. How much would that save you?

Earth Hour was created to increase public awareness of the impact of energy use on climate change. One article I read indicated that the city of Las Vegas will participate -- go dark from 8:30 to 9:30 local time -- to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. According to the article, the energy saved will be equal to 65 megawatts of electricity.

What do you think? I Earth Hour worth the bother?

Chinese Legislators Want Increased Strategic Oil Reserves | HeatingOil.com

Chinese Legislators Want Increased Strategic Oil Reserves | HeatingOil.com

Seems the People's Republic of China is thinking strategically about its national energy needs.