Energy | The Way Forward | Kedrosky

A practical, middle-ground approach to the energy crisis with a focus on reducing dependency on foreign oil and on oil in general. I like the concept of a tax on foreign oil with proceeds funding wind, solar, natural gas, etc. The 55 mph speed limit is troublesome, personally ... does this guy live in the Northeast? Bottom line (and a scary thought) is that it's up to Congress to take action. We're clearly going to have to kick butt and take names for that to happen.

Life | Uplifting Video | Matt Harding

We can all use a boost in these tough days. Check-out the short videos on this site - they ought to put a smile on your face.

Customer Service | Getting Live Help | Web

These days if I don't get the information or help I need off a company's website then I have a more complex problem that requires a company representative. Most telephonic customer support systems make you jump a LOT of hoops to finally get a person on the line. The shortcuts on this website could be a real time and frustration saver. Thanks, John, for the tip!

Energy | Grove on Electricity | The American

Andy Grove is a fascinating guy. If you like biographies, be sure to read his. He's published his thinking on the current energy crisis in The American. Well reasoned views and a good long-term perspective. I especially like his goal of "energy resilience". Unanswered question: what will get us going down this path?

Planning | Resources & City Growth | Trulia/WSJ

Interesting read in the WSJ today about development density and the cost of gas - featuring a planning approach in Sacramento. For a look at the area you live in and its development history, check-out this tool at Trulia Hindsight.

Finance | Managed Payouts | WSJ.com

Looking for a way to convert your savings into a stream of checks? Not happy with the expense, complexity & hype with conventional annuities? Take a look at this article on "managed payout" mutual funds. Could be a useful alternative.

PM | New PM Software | WSJ.com

Using MS Project can feel like wielding a sledge hammer to drive a carpet tack. Lots more options out there now for managing projects. Here is a recent article on some of the latest.

Oil | Price History | Forbes

A nice graphic on historical price of oil. Check the prices in the '70s. Missed opportunity for the USA. Will we learn this time? I think so.

Money | Social Security Restart | NPR

Here's another article about the Social Security Restart. Concept: take Social Security early and, if your health and assets are still going strong at age 70 (or earlier), pay back what you've drawn and apply for the significantly higher pay-out available at 70. Site includes links to other references plus calculators to evaluate your scanarios.

Culture | US

It sometime seems that the US is like a household run by the children.

Nature | Fear This! | YahooPhoto

I grew up in Kansas City and have seen all the tornadoes that I need to see in a lifetime. This photo is sobering.

Energy | High Oil Prices | BP

Here's BP's perspective on high oil prices. Strikes me as a fairly balanced view of the situation ... see also the link at the end to BP's Statistical Review of World Energy.

No big surprise here. Lower income rural areas are hit hardest. If you live in a relatively prosperous urban area, be thankful.

Pity we didn't learn our lesson from the late 70's and early 80's. I have a hunch the learning is going to be a bit more painful now.

Green | Greenhouse Gas Heresies | Wired

Check-out green heresies from an article in Wired magazine. My top 4:

• Live in Cities - better than suburbs
• A/C Is OK - Less CO2 Than Heating
• Embrace Nuclear Power - climate-friendly large-scale power supply
• Used Cars - huge energy/CO2 cost to make new cars
  

Tech | Google on Your Mobile | AllThingsD

No web-enabled cell phone? Here are ways to get directions, nearby businesses, short web searches via text messages. I've used the service w/ Google and it's slick.

Personal $ | Saving on Gas | AP

Time to revisit all the steps we learned back in 1973-1974 to save gas (if you don't remember, think OPEC oil embargo). Like checking tire inflation, driving more smoothly, removing junk from the trunk, etc. Here's the whole article - time to save gas and money.

Personal $ | Avoid ID Theft Cons | WSJ/Mossberg

Security software is necessary but not sufficient to protect against on-line identity theft. Those of you who've had security clearances will remember the old social engineering game. It's being effectively used to steal identities on-line. Here are some practical suggestions for staying secure and keeping the bad guys at bay.

Personal $ | Tracking Your Money | Mossberg

Here is what may be Version 2.0 software for tracking your expenditures. It's on-line and links with your banking, credit, investing accounts. Security seems to be well thought-out. If you're using Quicken, you probably won't change. But if you're looking for a less time-intensive tracking approach, this looks worth a try.

Personal $ | Identity Theft Bites LifeLock Chief | Yahoo

Remember the guy who pitches LifeLock and publishes his own SSN? Guess what ... multiple ID theft attempts and one success to-date. Bottom line, guard your info. Monitor your credit reports. You can do it for free.

Humor | Engineer's Guide to Cats | YouTube

This video is too true! I was LOL the whole time. If you know about ... or want to know about ... cats and engineers you will definitely enjoy this video.

Personal $ | Find Cheapest Gas | WSJ/Yahoo

From websites to cell phone widgets ... here's some tech tools to find the cheapest gas near you.

Travel | Perils of Flying | WSJ

You may never use the seat back pocket again after reading this article. At least not without checking first. And, if you do, be prepared for what you may find.

PC Security | Avoiding ID Theft Cons | Mossberg

Good advice column from Walt Mossberg. Social engineering is the most sophisticated of the approaches - and the toughest to intercept.

Computers | Backup via Cloud Computing | LA Daily News

I'm going to give this a try soon. Cloud computing is a new wave and seems like a promising approach for backing-up one's PC. Check-out this summary article.

Memory | How to Remember Everything | Wired

A rock-solid way to remember everything you'll ever learn. One hitch, though. You must live your life by this algorithm. See the article.

This says it all ...

Personal $ | Do-It-Yourself Tax Cut | WSJ/MarketWatch

When you get your economic stimulus check, save it. And then check-out this article for more ideas about how to get your personal finances into better shape.

This nation and its citizens can't borrow, consume and spend itself silly forever, now can it? FY2007 Interest on the national debt was $430B or about $3800 per household per year. That's just the interest on money the feds spent that they didn't have. Just for scale, the national debt is $9.3Trillion. The TOTAL subprime mortgage debt in the nation is about $1Trillion. So, subprime mortgage debt is a piker compared to our national debt.

To see how the national debt has changed over time, check-out this graphic (from this website). Unsettling. Who was watching the shop when those administrations racked-up all that debt? Have you told your kids/grandkids how lucky they are to have to pay-off our debts? They may not be thrilled.

Largest Exporters | Economist

I was surprised by these rankings. Amazing that we don't manage to export more than Germany. Not surprised in US being largest importer @ $2Trn of merchandise per yr.

Generic Drugs | The Same? Yes & No | WSJ.com

I always figured generic prescription drugs were close enough to the brand name ones. Apparently, that applies to the active ingredients. Inactive ingredients, which can affect absorption rate, do vary. This can cause significant differences in effectivity. An important article on your prescription meds.