Author: Serkadis

Bonny Doon, US | Inspired Inventions

Preston Boomer is the science teacher you always wished you had.

Mr. Boomer, who goes by the nickname “Boom,” has taught science at the San Lorenzo Valley High School for some 53 years. However for Boom and his students, the fun of learning extended beyond the walls of the high school and into a magical world of science, music, history and epic water battles, all created by Boom and his students over the last half century.

Known as “Boomeria,” it is set amidst the quiet redwoods on Boomer’s property in Bonny Doon, California. Of course it isn’t so quiet when Boom and his crew of students known as the “Brotherhood of the Natural Philosophers” are there. A kind of medieval science kingdom, Boomeria has its own castle, cannons, catacombs and a huge pipe organ.

Among the earliest additions to Boomeria was the pipe organ, a 1879 model, rescued by Boom and repaired by him and his studants beginning in 1953. Today the pipe organ, which nearly fills the entire chapel built around it, has been much improved and has 40 ranks and some 2,500 pipes offering nearly every kind of organ sound. The organ is nearly exactly like a medieval organ, with the only modern upgrade an electric pump. So impressive is the home built organ that music lovers come from many miles around to hear the organ at the “Boomeria Extravaganza,” a fundraiser for the Baroque Festival.

However, the organ and chapel is only one element of the massive Boomeria. Nearby is a three story castle, with a 140 meters of catacombs and mock dungeons below it! The catacombs let out into various other parts of Boomeria including the pipe organ chapel, and make a convenient way to travel across Boomeria.

The tunnels, castle, and various outposts are used in huge water battles in which students try to overtake the castle from Boom with water cannons, water balloon launchers, and water guns. All of which serves to illustrate the science of water pressure, and the tactics of medieval battles. The students shouldn’t get their hopes of winning up too high however, for even when King Boom loses, as his motto goes, “the King always wins!”

Among the many other amazing items in Boomeria, are a working Guillotine (presumably locked up for safety reasons), an engine room complete with stations to man the huge water cannons, and a antique laboratory with testing stations, dozens of chemical samples (many quite old having been inherited from Boom’s grandfather), a working telegraph to communicate across Boomeria, and a working steam engines.

While Boomeria is a private home, Boom opens it up to the public for the Santa Cruz Baroque festival, and occasionally to private groups. Recently, 45 Google employees got a tour of Boomeria and a chance to traverse its secret passages, and play with the myriad toys, and scientific instruments.

Boomeria is a testament to what 50 years of building, teaching, and the construction help of the “Brotherhood of the Natural Philosophers” can produce. More information can be found at Boom’s site Boomeria.org

Dark Helmet was the first of a few to send in a Chicago Tribune article looking at redlight camera accident rates and seeing (as many other reports have shown before) that in many cases the number of accidents went up. The report looked at fourteen intersections. Seven showed increases in accidents, two stayed the same, and five dropped. Even more interesting: at one of the intersections the number of t-bone “broadside” collisions (the ones that defenders of the cameras insist decrease) went up significantly. That was just one intersection, though. Others saw the more traditional decrease in broadsides, but significant increase in rear-end accidents as drivers slam on their brakes. The other interesting finding from the data: contrary to the claims of camera defenders, over time the rate of accidents did not appear to decrease “as drivers learned about the cameras.”

Once again, we’re left wondering why people still claim the cameras increase safety, when there appears to be no evidence to support that at all. There is a clear and proven way to increase safety though: (1) increase the length of the yellow and (2) increase the delay (or, for places like California which have no delay, put in a delay) when lights in all direction are red, before switching the new direction to green. Any municipality that puts in redlight cameras without doing those two things above, and then claims its about “safety” is lying. Bizarrely, though, the supporters in the Chicago area are still defending their system:

Even if not reflected in accident statistics, Belwood Police Chief Robert Collins Jr. said he sees drivers being more cautious as they approach stoplights. “Driver behavior has definitely changed,” Collins said…

Changed for the worse, apparently. Are we to believe the police chief’s anecdotal insistence or what the stats actually say?

Roger Pawlowski, a division chief at the Oak Lawn Police Department, said the benefits of red-light cameras can’t always be extrapolated from crash statistics.

Ah, then what are we to extrapolate the benefits of redlight cameras from? Checks cashed by the city?

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I’m starting to get the impression that 2010 will be a very strong for the Playstation brand in the home console arena. The reason I state this is because I don’t see Nintendo and Microsoft hitting the market with another console until 2011. Microsoft has an “Ace Card” they showed off at E3 for the XBOX360 called Natal, which many of you have probably seen before. It’s a very exciting prospect from an established giant in tech, and is basically a camera system that can read your movements and allows you to play games with those movements instead of using a controller. The videos were so exciting that many thought they were witnessing the second coming of a great evolution in gaming. What could go wrong?

Well, things can go wrong if Natal has lag – with one developer and now one of the largest technology blogs stating so. Gizmodo writes, “Jon Burton, director of Traveller’s Tales (makers of all those LEGO titles), has confirmed that “Lag on the input and lack of physical buttons is really going to restrict the kind of games that can be done [for Project Natal].” Gizmodo also went on to note that Natal was “accurate, but an ever-so-slight delay to the movement caused us to question whether it could be used for hardcore gaming apps.”

Both consoles are starting to stagnate a little bit. The Wii has filled its niche very nicely, but hardcore gamers overlook it quickly. With explosive success of Modern Warfare 2 – which made $550 million in its first five days of retail –  we are reminded you simply can’t miss out on immersive HD gaming. The XBOX360 is still very strong, has incredible online features and services but it does lack something these days in comparison to the PS3. You can tell its end of life, despite the fact that Microsoft has brilliantly extended the experience with a great software and social media experience.

Honestly, the PS3 feels like a canvas to me, as if there is still great growth within it. There are two huge things coming for the console in the next six months – a super accurate motion controller and the ability for any PS3 to play 3D games. How can you not be excited about that?

Filed under: Technology, Ford

The SYNC system offered by Ford in most of its models just got a lot more interesting. In addition to giving vehicle owners super simple connectivity with virtually any phone or music player and the best voice recognition in the biz, the next generation of SYNC will add mobile internet compatibility to its USB ports. What does this mean? It means that if you’ve got one of those fancy 3G modems for your laptop, you can plug it into the USB port of your SYNC-equipped Ford and voilà! Your entire vehicle is a WiFi hotspot. Imagine the effect of adding easy in-car WiFi to a family of five’s cross-country trip in a Ford Flex and you get the idea.

In-car WiFi has been around for a couple of years already, but all instances have required extra dealer-installed hardware (a receiver and router, specifically) and an additional monthly fee. General Motors announced just last week that it’s adding optional in-car WiFi to seven Chevy models, but like most systems, you’ll have to pay $500 up front ($199 after mail-in rebate through December 31st) for the hardware and $29/month for the service. With a simple software upgrade of SYNC next year, Ford customers will be able to use the 3G modem they may already have and get the same effect, without having to pay extra for new equipment and, most importantly, another monthly fee for internet. It’s also an easy way for Ford to get WiFi in the car for SYNC’s upcoming mobile apps.

SYNC was already a big reason for infotainment-obsessed car shoppers to consider a Ford, but at least when it comes to browsing the internet in your car, SYNC 2.0 with in-car WiFi just leap frogged the entire auto industry. Not only is the technology impressive, but this new feature actually saves the customer money rather than asking for more. Ford’s official word on the matter, plus a video of SYNC 2.0 broadcasting its pirate signal, can be found after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading SYNC FTW: Ford adding mobile internet compatibility to USB ports

SYNC FTW: Ford adding mobile internet compatibility to USB ports originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York City media and web guy Rex Sorgatz just Tweeted the following:

Now, fortunately for people in this predicament, our Bianca Male just published a how-to on hiring app developers.

But beyond the practical points here, there’s a deep economic lesson in Rex’s tweet.

Let’s back up.

See, Keynesian economists argue that there’s really no chance of inflation because we have plenty of slack in the economy. They call this slack the “output gap.”

So, for example, we have millions of idle workers and idle factories just waiting to come back into the producing world, and until they come back there’s no chance of any kind of wage or resource pressure.

That’s true, but only to the extent that the demands of the new economy match what that idle capacity is capable of producing.

The problem that folks like Paul Krugman don’t acknowledge is that this spare capacity doesn’t match demand. If there were an insatiable thirst for, say, new houses and new office parks, we’d be all set! But that’s not the case.

In reality, demand is popping up in new areas, like iPhone apps and sadly, all those laid off construction workers aren’t (nor will they ever be) capable of matching that demand.

In areas where there’s actually growing demand, there’s no output gap at all. In fact, we’re at a shortage — which explains Rex’s tweet and the need for our guide.

The problem with the Keynesian version of macroeconomics is that it treats all production as uniform glop. You have these vague concepts like supply, demand, growth, production, etc. and ideally you have more and more of it.

But in the real world, there are specific needs, and not all supply and demand are equal. Thus while it may appear we have a gigantic output gap — under the old measure — in reality we may have a shortage in the things we really need.

Don’t miss: How To Hire A Great iPhone Developer

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• How To Hire A Great iPhone Developer
• The Output Gap Model: Fatally Flawed
• Fed Governor Slams Krugman’s "Output Gap" Argument

In another good move on the Reader front, reports are stating that Sony is now embracing relationships with nearly 19 new content partners for regular download and wireless distribution to its Reader devices. The Financial Times has mentioned its own publication along with the Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune will be available immediately. The other partners are also excellent – “the New York Times and Christian Science Monitor, metropolitan dailies such as the Denver Post and the San Jose Mercury News, and the New York Review of Books and Barron’s, two weekly titles.” For those of you skeptical of pricing, no worries, its fairly moderate. The FT continues, “three News Corp titles under which the Wall Street Journal will be available for $14.99 a month, MarketWatch.com for $10.99 and the New York Post for $9.99. Sony said, however, that Reader users would be able to buy single editions of the FT, the LA Times and the Tribune, as well as monthly subscriptions.”

So there will be many options. This is a good thing.

Where’s the magazines, though? That’s really up to the publishers themselves. However, I have seen some demos of magazines and newspapers in a special tablet format that is really something. Are magazines skipping the E-Ink craze and going in this direction? It’s hard to tell, but I’m starting to think so. There’s no advertising model in the Reader at this moment and that turns people off quickly. A handheld touchscreen tablet with rich multimedia capability could most certainly have advertising capabilities.

One thing that disappoints me with the Reader experience is that Sony has no way for bloggers to offer their content to reader devices. Amazon has enabled the Kindle to show blogs (in a converted format I assume) for publishers that sign up for its Kindle Publishing for Blogs service. I even signed up Sony Insider for this service, because it’s such a cool idea. It would be so awesome if future Reader devices came with subscriptions to blog services available from the Sony Electronics Community, SonyStyle, Sony Insider and other relevant domains..

Dry bulk vessel over-supply is finally taking its toll, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) has gone into a nosedive as shown below. US-listed dry bulk stocks such as DryShips (DRYS) and Eagle Bulk (EGLE) have been drifting lower.

While the current index level is still equivalent to historically strong rates, continued strength in 2010 is entirely predicated on continued growth of Chinese dry bulk raw material imports. While November iron ore imports were encouraging and 2009 was a year of surprising strength, with China it could all disappear in an instant.

Bloomberg (Dec 11th): Iron ore imports by China, the world’s largest buyer, rose 12 percent last month as steelmakers increased production to meet demand from makers of cars and appliances. Imports of the steelmaking ingredient were 51.1 million metric tons, the customs office said on its Web site today. That compares with 45.5 million tons in October and a record 64.6 million tons in September, according to Bloomberg data.

….

Emirates Business: “In 2009, the potential for a much steeper decline was offset by a notable surge in the seaborne trade of iron ore – the largest single dry bulk commodity, accounting for 27 per cent of total cargoes – which actually increased by about three per cent y-o-y,” it said. Strong Chinese demand for the material proved vital to this growth.

China’s iron ore imports increased by more than 20 per cent y-o-y in 2009 as its share of the seaborne iron ore market rose from 58 per cent in 2008 to 66 per cent, offsetting the reduction in volumes shipped to other major import markets such as Japan and South Korea.

While a number of factors are reported to have caused this unexpected surge – the fall in global commodity prices; falling output by domestic mines; and rampant stockpiling by steel mills and speculators…

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• No, The Baltic Dry Index Doesn’t Forecast Oil Prices
• Freight Forwards Curve Warns Of Baltic Dry Index Collapse
• Way Better Than The BDI: Watch Chinese Iron Ore Demand Falling

So your family decided to surprise you by arriving a few days earlier. The only problem is that you haven’t prepared a menu yet. Don’t fret because here are three easy recipes that will have your stress levels in check and your family mouth watering.

You have already done so much planning for the big Turkey Dinner and the last thing you want to do is plan anything major prior to this. However, as much as ordering Pizza is appealing your family are all under one roof a few times a year. Make it special with a menu that they’ll never forget.

– Appetizer –

Fruit and Caramel Brie

Warmed Brie is always a crowd pleaser. It will keep everyone busy while you are preparing the main course. It is also something that is quick and easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 round (8 ounces) Brie cheese, rind removed

1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped  dried apples

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 loaf French Bread baguette, sliced and toasted

Directions:

1. Place Brie in a microwave-safe bowl. In a small bowl, combine the caramel topping, cranberries, apples and walnuts. Spread over Brie. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 60-90 seconds or until cheese is heated through and slightly melted. Serve with toasted baguette.

– Main Course –

Veal Chops with Mustard-Sage Crust

The best part about this dish is that it sounds fancier then it really is. In fact it only takes about 15 minutes to prep and about 25 minutes to cook. You’ll also be impressed with the small list of ingredients.

Ingredients:

4 veal chops (8 ounces each)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup soft bread crumbs

3 tablespoons stone-ground mustard

2 tabelspoons minced fresh sage

2 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:

1. Sprinkle veal chops on both sides with pepper and salt. Place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Combine mustard, sage and garlic; spread over one side of each chop, then coat with crumbs.

2. Place chops coated side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160.

– Dessert –

Chocolate Fondue

You’re probably dreading the idea of coming up with a dessert recipe last minute. Again, there is a really tasty (and easy) solution: fondue! This is also a great opportunity to ask a young one to help (and take some of the weight off of you). It’s also a fun dessert idea that everyone will remember.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/4 cups water

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 cup baking cocoa

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

5 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate, chopped

Strawberries, banana chunks, apple slices or angel food cake cubes

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, water and corn syrup to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. In a bowl, combine the cocoa, cream and half of the syrup  mixture until smooth; return to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped chocolate until melted.

3. Serve fondue warm with fruit or cake for dipping.

***

Although it’s not as easy as ordering delivery it’s a fairly easy menu that your family will love and remember. The Holidays after all are about family and creating memories!

Happy Holidays!

Follow me on Twitter @missbrittanydow or @Blisstree for recipe ideas!

Image Credits: iStockPhoto

Recipe Sources:

Fruit and Caramel Brie by Tracy Schuhmacher

Veal Chops with Mustard-Sage Crust by Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Chocolate Fondue by Jane Shapton

All from The Taste of Home Cookbook

Post from: Blisstree

Last Minute Holiday Recipe Ideas

Filed under: Classics, Auctions

One of our favorite cars from 2009 is the Blastolene Peterbilt hot rod. You know the one with two (count ’em, two) superchargers bolted to its Detroit Diesel V12. Hubba hubba,. And if we had access to a time machine, our very favorite car from say 1933 might just be this firetruck speedster, that’s quite possibly a direct ancestor of Blastolene. For certain the two are related in the chutzpah department. As the owner states, “You don’t know what ‘awesome’ is until you drive this car.”

Where to even start? First of all, brass era cars rule. Even if this particular American LaFrance bucket isn’t exactly 100 percent of the period. The chassis is from 1921 type 14-6 short wheelbase firetruck. The motor is out of a 1918 type 31-6-75 front drive aerial ladder, while the aluminum cowl comes from another American LaFrance firetruck built between 1927 and 1930. The speedster just looks like it hails from 1915 (the year which it’s coincidently registered). Pretty amazing, no?

Let’s talk motor for just one moment. The six-cylinder powering this particular rat rod is a 14.5-liter inline-six (that’s 820 cubic inches) good for 105 horsepower. Not oodles of power, but with twelve spark plugs (six off the distributor, six off the magneto) and all that displacement, you can bet this guy is torquey enough to pull stumps. Need more convincing? The differential takes 600 weight oil. Currently, the speedster’s sitting at $50,000 (reserve not met) with a buy it now price of $149,000. Serious bidders only, and good luck!

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: Brass Era American LaFrance firetruck speedster is a prehistoric Blastolene originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zipper Interactive has announced that MAG has gone gold in North America, Japan, Korea, and the rest of Asia. Righ on schedule for its January release. Best of all, they also announced that the free open beta

It seems as though many folks have concluded that last week’s incursion by Iranian forces into Iraq, and onto an old oil well, was a minor, meaingless story.

A popular, benign, interpretation is that it was just a few, rogue Iranian forces foolishly hoisting a flag onto a well that wasn’t pumping oil, with absolutely no consequence whatsoever.

Not so say the independent geopolitics analysts at Stratfor.

Multiple sources have reported that Tehran ordered the incident. The Iranian government is aware that Washington has said the end of 2009 was to be the deadline for taking action against Iran over its nuclear program — and that according to a White House source, the United States could extend that deadline to Jan. 15, 2010.

That postponement makes an important point. The United States has treated the Iran crisis as something that will be handled on an American timeline. The way that the Obama administration handled the Afghanistan strategy review suggests it assumes that Washington controls the tempo of events sufficiently that it can make decisions carefully, deliberately and with due reflection. If true, that would mean that adversaries like Iran are purely on the defensive, and either have no counter to American moves or cannot counter the United States until after Washington makes its next move.

For Iran, just to accept that premise puts it at an obvious disadvantage. First, Tehran would have to demonstrate that the tempo of events is not simply in American or Israeli hands. Second, Tehran would have to remind the United States and Israel that Iran has options that it might use regardless of whether the United States chooses sanctions or war. Most important, Iran must show that whatever these options are, they can occur before the United States acts — that Iran has axes of its own, and may not wait for the U.S. axe to fall.

The incursion was shaped to make this point without forcing the United States into precipitous action. The location was politically ambiguous. The force was small. Casualties were avoided. At the same time, it was an action that snapped a lot of people to attention. Oil prices climbed. Baghdad and Washington scrambled to try to figure what was going on, and for a while Washington was clearly at a loss, driving home the fact that the United States doesn’t always respond quickly and efficiently to surprises initiated by the other side.

Between this incident and the mounting concerns over Greece (et. al.) it’s obvious that the conventional wisdom is that the dominant concerns of 2010 will involve sovereign risk and geopolitical risk.

Commercial real estate? That’s so autumn 2009.

Read the whole analysis at Stratfor.com –>

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• It’s Not Over: Iraq Sends Forces To Oil Well Seized By Iran
• Iranian Forces Cross Border And Seize Iraqi Oil Wells

MÉXICO, TIERRAMÉRICA

La empresa mexicana BioFields producirá desde 2014 biocombustible a través de algas en una planta de gran escala situada a 300 kilómetros de distancia de Estados Unidos, que será su principal cliente.

Antes de fin de año, BioFields comenzará a construir una central piloto para obtener etanol a base de algas en Puerto Libertad, un poblado de casi 3 mil habitantes ubicado en el municipio de Pitiquito, en el norteño estado de Sonora, dijo Sergio Ramírez, director de asuntos corporativos.

¿Cómo?
Las algas producen etanol naturalmente y la técnica aplicada optimiza el proceso para que sea directo y a escala industrial. El etanol resultante podrá mezclarse con gasolina en distintas proporciones, reduciendo las emisiones de gases invernadero causadas por el transporte.

“El gran éxito de esta tecnología es que encontramos un alga que secreta el etanol naturalmente, ahorrándose dos procesos industriales: la fermentación y la síntesis en etanol. Eso hace que cada microorganismo sea una minifábrica”, señaló Ramírez.

Tratamiento
Para que las algas crezcan y se reproduzcan, las colocarán en estanques con bolsas de plástico llenas de agua salada que bombearán desde el Mar de Cortés, distante a unos metros de la planta, explicó Ramírez.

Las algas se alimentarán de radiación solar, nitratos y el dióxido de carbono que arroja una de las termoeléctricas más contaminantes de México, ubicada en Puerto Libertad.

Para absorber ese dióxido de carbono, la planta piloto será construida en un terreno de una hectárea y media dentro de la termoeléctrica, propiedad de la Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), entidad generadora paraestatal de México.

Si el proyecto marcha como esperan, la CFE se quedará con los recursos que genere la captación de dióxido de carbono a través del Mecanismo de Desarrollo Limpio previsto en el Protocolo de Kyoto sobre el Cambio Climático.

Más detalles
Una vez probada la fórmula, se construirá una gran planta industrial junto a las instalaciones de la Comisión Federal de Electricidad, en un terreno desértico de 22 mil hectáreas. El objetivo es producir más de 946 millones de litros para 2014, y cerca de 3 mil 800 millones de litros en 2020.

La inversión será de 850 millones de dólares, provenientes del fundador y director general de BioFields, Alejandro González, propietario de Grupo Gondi, una de las mayores empresas de reciclaje de cartón en México.

Fuente Bibliográfica

BBC
Tras nueve meses de investigaciones, los vulcanólogos estadounidenses Minard Hall y Patricia Mothes anunciaron el descubrimiento de cinco volcanes en el oriente ecuatoriano, ubicados entre las localidades de Cosanga y Baeza, a unos 75 kilómetros en línea recta al sureste de Quito.
Los científicos dieron a conocer que investigan la existencia de más de estas elevaciones de formación joven en la zona.

Más de ellos
Los investigadores pertenecen al Instituto Geofísico de la Escuela Politécnica Nacional de Ecuador y destacaron que al menos uno, al que lo bautizaron como Centro Pumayacu, es potencialmente activo. Los otros cuatro han sido denominados por los vulcanólogos con los nombres de Lavas de Bermejo, El Dorado, Domos de Huevo de Chivo y Centro Cosanga.

Minard Hall dijo que aún se deben profundizar las investigaciones para determinar el nivel de actividad potencial de las otras formaciones.

Además es necesario obtener mayores precisiones sobre la antigüedad, actividad sísmica y composición química de los descubrimientos, a los que Hall llama los Volcanes de Cosanga.

TIP ECOLÓGICO
El vidrio se demora un millón de años en degradarse y es responsable del 20% de la contaminación del aire y del 50% de la del agua.

Fuente Bibliográfica

A few weeks back, I shared my video on the innovator’s dilemma (based on Clayton Christensen’s work). The key point could be summarized as noting that legacy industries are fine with incremental improvements, but they run into a huge roadblock when it comes to transformative changes — such as disruptive innovations that change the very way that business is done. It’s just really really difficult for legacy businesses to comprehend, let alone adapt, to true transformative (or disruptive) innovation. Musician Steve Lawson recently had a fantastic writeup discussing the difference between transformative and incremental change in the music industry, and why it’s been so difficult for many of the “old guard” to understand what’s happening. He discusses how previous innovations that the record labels are used to were incremental changes:

The invention of cassettes, and 8-track cartridges was an incremental change – suddenly there were more ways of selling hard copies of recorded music. More places to play them, new machines needed, new possibilities for the length of music that could be issued in a single entity (90 minute cassettes were pretty standard, and some enterprising labels took to reissuing 2 albums as one on cassette, thus breathing new life into back catalogue.)

The same happened again with CDs – more incremental change – the chance to pretend it was higher resolution than vinyl (a lie) that it was indestructable (a lie) and that you could take it anywhere with you (true). CDs were a breath of life to a fairly static industry – suddenly, all the people who were teenagers in the 70s at the dawn of stadium rock were now successful 30-somethings with disposable cash and a deeply fragile sense of self.

But, of course, what we’re seeing now is totally different. The internet presents a disruptive or transformative change.

When you take an industry that has 4 big costs – recording, manufacture, distribution, promotion – and remove 3 of them, that changes everything. All of the assumptions about how much it costs to make a record, what infrastructure is needed to make a sales team effective, who needs to own the trucks and delivery guys who take your product to shops – they all disappear. They are all now choices that you make, not assumptions.

The problem for the industry is that it structured its entire business around the idea that those four big costs are a big problem that any musician needs help with — and they’re willing to sign their lives away to get that help. But the transformative change that occurs with the internet is that much of that becomes significantly less expensive, and the need to sign your life away becomes not a need, but a choice — and the businesses that were built to only work if musicians signed their lives away suddenly find themselves in trouble.

As in the innovator’s dilemma, however, the labels still don’t recognize this. They can only think in terms of the incremental change of “how can we sell more units of music.” That’s the only change they’ve ever really known. They’re not prepared for a situation where the selling of music may not even make sense, and the level of control over an artist has changed dramatically. But they still view — as is often the case in the innovator’s dilemma — as something to be dismissed. The fact that musicians can record for less money… well, it’s not as good as having a record label bankroll you hundreds of thousands of dollars. True, but it’s pretty damn good and getting better. The fact that you don’t have to go through an expensive processing plant to print CDs? Well, it may not look quite as nice, but the technology again gets better and cheaper everyday. The fact that the music can be distributed and promoted for free online? The labels really still don’t quite get that part of it, but it’s been working great for musicians who know how to use it to their advantage.

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MANAOS, EFE

El pirarucú o paicha, un pez gigantesco del Amazonas y uno de los mayores de agua dulce del mundo, aporta además de su sabrosa carne, su cuero escamoso para la producción de bolsos y zapatos de alta costura.

Fuente Bibliográfica

Basha Nut is a diet pill that claims you will “Start losing 1-2 kg each day as soon as you start taking Basha slimming capsules” (website). There is no proof to show Basha Nut will do anything for weight loss. In addition, the marketing and website for this product are atrocious. They even publish hundreds of bad reviews about the product on their own website! This Basha Nut review will reveal all the pathetic sides to Basha Nut to (hopefully) keep you from buying it.

Basha Nut Ingredients

Basha Nut contains the following ingredients:
Basha Fruit extract
Lotus Leaf extract
Cassia Seed

None of these ingredients has been proven to cause weight loss in humans. If you want to lose weight, go with a diet pill that contains clinically proven ingredients in the necessary amounts.

Basha Nut Free Trial

The Basha Nut website touts a free trial (actually it says “free trail”). They give a 5 minute countdown, making you think you only have 5 minutes to cash in on the trial. However, if you refresh the page the countdown starts over.

The website hides the details of the trial in the fine print. Here is the scoop: you have 15 days to cancel your free trial. If you do not cancel within the 15 days you are enrolled in autoship (meaning they automatically ship you more Basha Nut diet pills every month and charge your credit card) and charged $79.95 per month. This is WAY too much money for a diet pill that has no science behind it.

Basha Nut Marketing

The Basha Nut website has several before and after photos of people who have supposedly lost weight using Basha Nut. However, the heads are either cropped out of the photos or the faces are blacked out.

There is no way to tell if it is even the same person in the before and after photos.

Much of the Basha Nut website is dedicated to convincing prospective customers they should distribute Basha Nut (to earn money). If you get your friends to sign up you get 2 free boxes of Basha Nut.

The Basha Nut website claims, “As of December 18, a total of 8500 customers shared their experiences of Loss weight.” The interesting thing is that when you look through the posts from customers, nearly all are negative reports about Basha Nut. What company litters their website with degrading comments? It just makes no business sense.

The Basha Nut website also seems to have been made by someone who does not speak English. There are dozens of blatant spelling and grammatical errors on the website.

Basha Nut Customer Service

I attempted to contact the Basha Nut customer service department. The website lists no customer service phone number, only an email address. I sent an email with questions about ingredients, but several days later they still have not replied.

Basha Nut Conclusion

This Basha Nut review finds Basha Nut diet pills are not worth your time or money. There is no scientific evidence to show Basha Nut will actually cause weight loss. It is far too expensive. The website is pathetic and there is no customer service. Do not bother with this product.

Fred Anderson is providing an inside look at COP-15 in Copenhagen to The Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) World Climate Change Report. 

Today, Anderson’s Notebook (12/21/09), discusses what we can make of the Copenhagen Accord.

To read the full entry, please click here.