CityLink

Now would be a good time for Citylink to do some PR.

Drudge is running headlines that Atlanta may be facing gas shortages very soon. Seems reasonable to expect the midwest may be seeing some serious rate hikes to even outright shortages, as we get most of our fuel from the gulf too. Airlines are cutting back flights because of imminent fuel shortages.

Peoria's bus system might suddenly look more attractive. $25 gets you unlimited rides for a month, thats $300 a year. How much are you paying in fuel, insurance, loan payments?

Now if someone in city hall actually got smart and encouraged retail development around the bus station....

Instead we have 2 1/2 sides of parking lots, a pr0n shop, and a pawn shop across the street. How much additional disposable income would you have if you didn't need to drive? Might not be so many people driving out to Grand Prairie if you got no gas.

The positives and failings of Peoria's public transportation system will have to wait for another day. Just wanted to say... timing could be opportune if they are serious about increasing ridership.

Katrina and the Waves, Walking on Sunshine

I love storms.... in another life I would be a storm chaser. Give me a video cam and I would love to be in the middle of it. Madness to be sure but there is a rush to it.

If you want minute by minute coverage...

WWLTV in New Orleans is streaming onto the net.

There are webcams too at NOLA. I am watching the streetcar Cam.

Oh and... fill up your gas tank before prices rocket up. WWLTV is saying 28% of our nation's oil goes through New Orleans. > $4 a gallon?!? Hope Katrina misses the refineries.

Mahkno

When the Levee Breaks

by Memphis Minnie
recording of 1929

If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break
And the water gonna come in, have no place to stay
Well all last night I sat on the levee and moan
Well all last night I sat on the levee and moan
Thinkin' 'bout my baby and my happy home
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break
And all these people have no place to stay
Now look here mama what am I to do
Now look here mama what am I to do
I ain't got nobody to tell my troubles to
I works on the levee mama both night and day
I works on the levee mama both night and day
I ain't got nobody, keep the water away
Oh cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do no good
Oh cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do no good
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to lose
I works on the levee, mama both night and day
I works on the levee, mama both night and day
I works so hard, to keep the water away
I had a woman, she wouldn't do for me
I had a woman, she wouldn't do for me
I'm goin' back to my used to be
I's a mean old levee, cause me to weep and moan
I's a mean old levee, cause me to weep and moan
Gonna leave my baby, and my happy home


Good luck New Orleans !

Peoria wants new high tech jobs?

Perhaps they should listen to Bill Gates. In a recent address to the National Conference of State Legislatures, he asserted that a well educated workforce, not tax cuts, was the key to luring high tech businesses. Listen in if you like.

I mention this because this is not the first time I have seen some recent news along these lines.

Toyota recently announced that after a long courtship with states in the Southeast, that they would locate the plant in Ontario, Canada. Why? Because the education levels were better. The education levels are better because Ontario doesn't marginalize its public education with huge tax breaks. Read on. or here .

What can Peoria learn from this? Well there has been a lot of talk about what is wrong with District 150 and then there is Med-Tech. You decide....

AM 580 Online

I used to listen to WILL-AM 580 when I lived closer to Champaign-Urbana. It basically is a no fluff public radio station. All 'shows' and little if no music. Anyways.. being slow to the discovery, this station broadcasts online. There are some 'shows' that are not available on our local WCBU.

I am hoping WEFT goes back online again some day. WEFT is by far the best OTA music station I have listened to. No payola bullshit !! Real DJs. Real playlists.

I want Opus !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry but Peanuts has got to go. I like Charlie Brown but the first words out of Sally's mouth in today's re-run says it all, "This is boring". Folks, if you haven't gotten the news, Mr Schulz is dead. He's been this way for a while now. All the Peanuts cartoons we have been reading are reprints. There was a time when Peanuts was the top of the cartoon world. There was schwag, TV cartoons, books, and even songs about Snoopy. Like all cartoons tho, it got tired and lost it shine. Now it is collecting dust with a wiff of decay. Peanuts needs to be respectfully retired from the Peoria Journal Star.

What to do tho? Opus. First there was Bloom County (1980-1989) Then it morphed into Outland (1989-1995). Then Berkley Breathed took a breather but then decided to draw cartoons again. Opus the penguin is back !! Well he has been back for nearly a couple years (Nov 2003). Perhaps the Peoria Journal Star could give Opus a little love and a place in the Sunday paper.

iPod for my car? #2

I did get an iPod. I love it. No more burning mix CDs or mix tapes. I know I am late to the game but these little toys are awesome.

As I noted before, several car makers are now adding iPod adapters to their new models. Some are allowing older models to be retrofitted. Velde Volvo wants to charge me $300-$400 to put the adapter in. This involved a) an adapter and b) some additional wiring that is not already in place on older model Volvos. Mmm.... right now, the answer is no.

Instead, I got one of these little Griffin iTrip's for $35. It works just fine with the added bonus that I can take it anywhere and listen to it on any radio. The range covers my whole house easily. The neighbors, on either side, could probably listen in if they knew what frequency it was on.

Oh and the kid loves it too. Best to keep it out of their mits or you will be listening to the same songs over n over n over.....

Mahkno

Wi-Fi in Peoria #2

Rumors abound that Google might be working on a nationwide FREE Wi-Fi network. For those scheming about a free local Wi-Fi network covering Peoria, this could be interesting news. I doubt Peoria is at the top of Google's list of places to start but still. Google is flush with massive amounts of capital. Spending it on building a free Wi-Fi network covering the nation could have huge implications.

Want to read more?

Endgadget
Business 2.0

Mahkno

Adventures into HDTV in Peoria #1

For a while now I have been eyeing HDTVs. They are pretty nice to behold but also quite expensive. Prices are falling and like all electronics (esp TVs), the features added are just enough of a trickle that you can't get quite what you want. So once you do buy one, there will be a 'better' one next year. Nevermind the manufacturers could pour them all in and make a final decent product. No.. we are being milked. Well 2004-05 was not the year I would buy one. New models come out in the fall so we will soon see if 2005-06 is the magic year or not. I'm discouraged but HDTV is coming whether you want it or not.

January 2007 is the original cut off date, when analog over the air broadcasts are supposed to cease. What? Yes that means your old TV is supposed to stop working. Yes we are being coralled into buying HDTVs. Of course many broadcasters won't make that deadline. Instead they went to Congress and are lobbying for an extension of the cut off to say... .2009...2012... never? Time will tell, but HDTV is coming.

In Peoria, it seems most of the local broadcasters have started broadcasting HDTV over the air (except TBN). Everyone cheer. But does anyone care? It seems only 11.5% of folks get their television over the air with an.... antennae. The rest get their television via cable or satellite. I am one of the few, the proud, the bunny ear wielding minority.

Now, not too long ago, I bought an HDTV capable monitor for the computer. Since then I have been pondering getting an ATSC Tuner (thats HDTV folks) for it. Trying to locate and get information on ATSC Tuners is hard. There don't seem to be many models or manufacturers. Locally... Circuit City has a few. Wal-Mart had one. Best Buy had nada. But that is only half of the solution. You need an antenna too. The little bunny ears with the wire loop isn't going to cut it. There are not many indoor, set top, antenna's out there for HDTV. They tend to be big and ugly, not that bunny ears are a joy. No.. the impression I am getting is that indoor antenna's simply don't work well for ATSC broadcasts (psst thats HDTV). HDTV needs more antenna for the greater bandwidth that it requires. This means one needs to hoist a mast on the outside of their house.

Ah... now we begin to understand why you don't see too many HDTV tuners. Unless you are one of the lucky few who still has one of these behemoths on their house from the 70s, odds are you won't be putting one up. They are pretty ugly. Thus no need for the tuner. There are only 11.5% of us or less. I would guess most of that 11.5 are country dwelling folks and not in the heart of Peoria. The market really is not there.

So... it seems safe to say that unless you already have an antenna or plan to put one on the outside of your house, you DO NOT need an ATSC tuner. Don't need one on that HDTV nor a separate little box for one. The notion that houses all over America are going to spring up antenna's again, just so they can get free HDTV is ludicrous.

This brings me to cable, in Peoria... and the imminent discussions between Peoria and Insight Communications over cable rates !!!!! Next Post... which I promise will be soon... maybe even today : )

Mahkno

I am still here... sort of.

I haven't given up on this blog thing... it's just the Summer. The kid is way too busy and bored and well... I just don't have the time to really write a bunch.