Brewmaster

Might be the worst article I've ever read anywhere. 1) Streetcars aren't noisy. They run on electric motors. In fact, one could argue that the lack of noise contributes to accidents. If an idiot pedestrian doesn't look before he/she crosses the street, they might never hear one coming. 2) Streetcars don't operate on tracks that are "about one foot about ground level" (that's not a typo by me...they just didn't proofread it). I'll take it to mean one foot above ground level. That could almost be considered an elevated train! That's higher than the sidewalks. 3) This sentance makes NO sense at all..."The Lantern does not agree the streetcars will reduce traffic flow or pace." It is then immediately followed up by a paragraph stating that streetcars WILL reduce traffic flow and pace. 4) How does a MAJOR derailment happen with a single car train? I think that's a bit extreme. Is this really that big of a problem to mention? How many accidents do busses and cars get into each year? I just heard about another COTA bus crash this past week to go with the pedestrian killed a few weeks ago. This might be the only thing I agree with in the article...

I've heard similar things. I've also heard that if the streetcars become reality, they would likely be run by COTA. Two years ago, I would've been downright depressed by this, but now I feel like they may be turning the corner as an organization. The levy passing was a good thing, and it seems like Lhota has gotten the messy labor issues out of the way. It could also give them some experience with rail transportation that could help if light rail ever happens.

That's basically the same timeline that was given for Columbus' proposed system. Streetcars don't require the deep bed that commuter or even light rail requires. My understanding is that, it just amounts to tearing up a lane of road, laying down tracks, pouring concrete, throwing up some basic stations, and stringing the power lines. I'd guess procurement of the cars would take nearly as long as construction.

^ There's a comment feature on that website...let Sandeep know what a poorly reasearched load of crap he just laid.

So if you won the lottery, would you take the lump sum, or the annual payouts?

I can honestly say I've never heard of a dirty old man getting bulldozed into eternity.

How many of those surveyed drive SUVs and live in houses over 3,000 square feet? It's nice that 84% "support" energy conservation measures, but do they turn that into action? To me, the more shocking thing here is that 16% of those surveyed oppose energy conservation measures. Either way...it's good that Americans are at least thinking about energy conservation...even if they aren't taking responsibility for it.

This project probably only becomes a reality if congress makes some changes. As things stand, tax credits for wind are small and temporary. Making them big and permanent would go a long way towards making projects like these economically feasible. Siting is going to be the other HUGE challenge. Environmentalists are going to be up in arms about disturbing some mussels, fish, migratory birds, and a slew of endangered species. I think congress should do something that limits the environmental challenges facing environmentally friendly renewable generation.

Now that DSLRs are falling in price, I'm looking at making a purchase too. I'm stuck between the Digital Rebel and the Nikon D40. Any particular reason you went with the Canon?

Wrong Wrong #2 -- This year's freshman class at OSU contained more students who graduated in the top 10% of their high school class than Miami, and also had nearly identical ACT scores. Pretty impressive for a school who accepts more than twice the number of applicants. It's also overtaking Miami in many of the rankings. I couldn't find the dispatch article with all of the pretty graphs, but this lantern article summarizes it... http://www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2006/09/18/Opinion/Freshmen.Push.Osu.Academics.To.Higher.Level-2282594.shtml?norewrite200701110941&sourcedomain=www.thelantern.com

Generally, people respond with actions when it hits their pocketbooks. The rest is just rhetoric, such as my world peace and puppy dogs analogy. They also don't respond well to people taking money our of their pocketbooks. That's why I noted earlier that no politician with hopes of re-election would ever touch the gas tax until things got really really bad. It's the right thing to do, as it would prepare us by forcing the market to the correct answer before things reach the point of emergency (the correct answer being...use less oil). I suppose this could also be done by placing a tariff on oil imports like those in place for almost all other imported goods.

I feel that much this board is group therapy for those of us who find ourselves with "suburbanitis". It makes me feel better to vent after a trip to visit one of my friends who lives in an area full of identical houses and strip malls.

This is a great article about the iPhone evolution from a tablet pc concept and how Jobs runs the organization. http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1575410,00.html

Should we spend another $85k to survey thier employers and find out if they are, in fact, talented? :)

That's like saying Americans want world peace and puppy dogs for everyone. I don't have a link to support it, but I was just reading something about how we shop for cars. We rank efficiency behind things like safety (big, heavy, and fuel inefficient), price (hybrids are still expensive in comparison), size, and performance (not exactly fuel efficient). Efficiency breifly moved up the importance scale this summer, but went back down in the fall along with fuel prices. Incidentally, light truck sales rebounded this fall and winter.

I think it's his delivery that turns people off more than the content. He's got that, "I'm right, you're stupid, in your face" way of telling people his opinions. It sells books, but I hope he doesn't talk to his friends and family that way.

That's a great way to put it.

Incredible! 4 goals in the last 10 minutes to win 4-3!!!

suprise, suprise.

I think there's only a problem with certain speeds of films in x-ray machines. Hard drives and flash memory don't have any problems though. I've taken my laptop and ipod through the scanners dozens of times. They will make you take your laptop out of your carry on and put it in a seperate tray though...so don't pack it too deep.

Crissakes! Is that fire damage or should the building have been powerwashed in 1954?

That sounds great Boreal, and I wish things worked that way. The average American just isn't that ideological. He has the greatest allegiance to his pocketbook. I don't think the average American would vote "yes" on an increase in the gas tax because it was in our long-term best interest. In fact, I saw attack ads on Bob Shamansky when he was running for Representative this past fall. Apparently he voted for an increase in the gas tax when he was in office in the early 80's and it may have cost him this election. People think...high gas prices = bad, and it doesn't go much deeper than that.

I would hope that with an earnest public education campaign on peak oil and global warming, we could make people want to drive less and for lawmakers to adopt appropriate policy. As the late, great Burgess Meredith said in Grumpier Old Men, "you can hope in one hand and crap in the other and see which gets filled first." :-D

I think what Eigth and State is trying to say is... Demand follows supply. Lots of supply = low prices = SUV's and roadtrips. Smaller supply (like the Saudi Oil Embargo) = high prices = efficiency increases and a drop in consumption. An increase in efficiency will likely lead to more vehicle miles traveled and largely cancel itself out (google: Jevon's Paradox). I'm not saying we shouldn't be increasing efficiency standards. We should. It's just that higher prices will ultimately lead to change in this country though. We could either wait for the inevitable shortages and do it painfully, or take preemptive action and increase the gas tax. We see it coming...but it's too hard of a pill for people to swallow.

Quit being such a NIMBY. Your homeowners insurance should cover you in the event of rocket booster damage.