I post here so infrequently and with little personal information . . . this posting sums it up nicely. Many postings sit nearly finished in my drafts box because I am unable to find a way to convey my thoughts while keeping some semblance of privacy and security . . . sigh. Something to think about.
We’ll I made it to New Orleans. My first impressions are, well, mixed.
As we were landing at MSY, we flew over several large garbage dumps with trucks lined up for what appeared to be miles, to dump what I assume is Katrina debris.
On the drive from the airport to downtown, I purposely took surface streets to see what the outlying areas looked like. I have to say, the areas I drove through appear to be springing back . . . slowly, but there is much progress.
The Superdome has for the most part, received a new roof. I drove through the areas that flooded immediately surrounding the arena, and there is very little direct evidence of the moat that once trapped many thousands of people.
The downtown area is dead . . . some buildings look to have been abandoned. Many stores, restraunts and attractions are closed permanently, or are only open on the “busy days” with dramatically reduced hours.
I enjoyed a plate of Beignets and a cup of Cafe Au Lait from Cafe Du Monde . . . they were better than people have said. Pure pleasure under a pile of powdered sugar! Hopefully I can get to their company store while they are open to pickup some Beignet mix.
The French Quarter is intact for the most part, but it too is dead. There were very few people on the street and the restaurants and bars that were open, were empty. Many businesses appear to have been closed up before the storm, never to be opened again.
This city has a heart and spirit that you can sense . . . it’s very hard to explain, but it’s a very good vibe! I understand why people are drawn here.
I’m having a hard time bringing myself to take any photos . . . I just don’t want to remember this city in the shape it’s in, while it’s getting there, it’s just not there yet.
If you have the ability, I would most definitely recommend you that you come for a visit. Airfare, hotels and food are all very reasonable. This city needs our help and tourist dollars to make its comeback.
Seems Apple has run out of domestic inventory for their new iPods and are shipping them right from the assembly line in China.
Gives new meaning to factory fresh . . . the weird part . . . they shipped it Ground!!!
So as I was reading this blog entry on Ethanol, when I suddenly recalled my cooking experience from last night . . .You see, our summer vegetable garden is nearing its peak of production and last night was all about picking the corn. Out of the 8 or so corn plants, I was able to harvest about 10 usable ears. After a few minutes of pondering of what to do with this wonderful bounty of fresh sweet organic white corn, I decided to make up a batch of my favorite creamed corn . . . one of my all time favorite summer treats.
So I took to milking my corncobs . . . labor-intensive, but easy process if you have the right tools. After about 5 minutes, I had amassed a total of about 4 cups of a wonderful sweet corn pulp . . . And then it hit me, out of the 10 ears of corn that I started with, I had only gathered 4 cups of pulp. Glancing in the sink full of cornhusks and cobs I came to a conclusion . . . this was a very bio-inefficient process.
You see, on average a single corn plant produces about 2 ears of corn (speaking from my experience of growing organic corn in my backyard), with an average stalk height of about 6 feet. Now, those ears are roughly (by volume) 1/3 kernel pulp and 2/3 inedible husk and cob – to break it down by volume of material, per corn plant that’s roughly:
Not taking into account the water and fertilizer required to grow the corn, that makes the plant about 10% efficient in producing a usable raw material for anything from human fuel (creamed corn) to car fuel (ethanol).
While great strides are being made in the field of cellulosic ethanol, it just shows that corn is the wrong material for long-term bio-fuel production. In addition, diverting corn from the food supply will only serve to drive up the cost of everyday products that make use of corn such as corn chips, soft drinks, and steaks . . . and, well, corn itself. This ignores completely the fact that we can’t produce enough corn in the US to completely rid ourselves of imported fossil fuels.
What’s needed is a way to utilize existing residential, commercial and industrial bio-waste as the raw material for ethanol production. This is where large scale, distributed cellulosic ethanol production makes sense. Everyday in the US, many bio-waste products from scrap wood and saw-dust to yard clippings are produced, and large percentage of these materials are just disposed of in a landfill. Use of these materials could yield ‘free’ fuel to power our cars.
If additional materials are needed for ethanol generation, we could harvest fast growing native plants, or we could cultivate plant species with low environmental impact in marginal farming locations so not to increase the use of chemical fertilizers and ground water, or to compete with the existing food supply.
Over the longer-term, we must find a fuel source that allows us to wean ourselves from fossil fuels without destroying our land in the process.
In the mean time, I’ll just keep making creamed corn. 
According to this ABC News Article:
LG has released a new cell phone in South Korea that includes a built-in breathalyzer . . . it can even block you from dialing certain numbers when your blood-alcohol level is too high! Even better . . . It’s even coming to the US soon!
I’ve got a few friends that need this feature in a cell phone!
Robert (your host at MassPerception.com) is a Technologist by trade and geek by genetic predisposition. He dabbles in politics and has strong views that he's not afraid to share. When not found near some piece of silicon, he can be found at the airport entertaining his will to fly or playing with his many toys (not all of which require batteries). This is his outlet for things that kick around his brain too long.
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