Ben Moga stays on top of his Alder race with Robbie Weber via his blog at www.votemoga.com
Municipal WiFi – San Antonio & West Virginia
an Antonio considers municipal broadband network: A non-profit is working on a plan to offer low-cost Internet access to poorer residents of San Antonio and wants to work with the city to offer free wireless hotspots. The Texas house bill that prohibits municipal networks would disallow this kind of cooperation.
Hybrid Cars: Plug Them in Overnight?
Ron Gremban and Felix Kramer have modified a Toyota Prius so it can be plugged into a wall outlet.
This does not make Toyota happy. The company has spent millions of dollars persuading people that hybrid electric cars like the Prius never need to be plugged in and work just like normal cars. So has Honda, which even ran a commercial that showed a guy wandering around his Civic hybrid fruitlessly searching for a plug.
But the idea of making hybrid cars that have the option of being plugged in is supported by a diverse group of interests, from neoconservatives who support greater fuel efficiency to utilities salivating at the chance to supplant oil with electricity. If you were able to plug a hybrid in overnight, you could potentially use a lot less gas by cruising for long stretches on battery power only. But unlike purely electric cars, which take hours to charge and need frequent recharging, you would not have to plug in if you did not want to.
Orion Energy Systems
Lights made by Orion generate less heat and consume 50% less power than standard industrial lighting. Even more significant: Orion lights require fewer fixtures, and while factories and warehouses that use them are brighter, they use less electricity. That’s a big deal for manufacturers always looking to cut costs to stay competitive.
Madison Alder Candidate Blog
Ben Moga has a useful campaign blog. Way to go, Ben.
1000 Yard Stare
Guess what, folks? As you were checking out the Easter bonnets, our warriors were still paying the ultimate price in Iraq. Yes, America, the war in Iraq is still on the boil. We?re approaching 1,600 dead plus approximately 15,000 battle-wounded, along with thousands upon thousands of nonbattle casualties ? a deeply guarded Pentagon secret ? from accidents, sickness or stress disorders.
Lest we forget the sacrifices young men and women are making daily on our nation?s behalf, here’s one e-mail from the barrage we and Soldiers for the Truth (SFTT.org) receive weekly, a father sharing a letter from his son ?who is helping run the port in Kuwait where young heroes arrive in the war zone and depart from months later.? As Dad puts it, ?If this doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, nothing will.?
So haul out your hankies and read on for some serious ?ber-reality:
Politics on Wheels
By analyzing new-car sales, surveying car owners and keeping count of political bumper stickers, they are identifying the differences between Democratic cars and Republican ones.
Among their findings: buyers of American cars tend to be Republican – except, for some reason, those who buy Pontiacs, who tend to be Democrats. Foreign-brand compact cars are usually bought by Democrats – but not Mini Coopers, which are bought by almost equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. And Volvos may not actually represent quite what you think.
Bud Selig vs Fay Vincent
Murray Chass takes an interesting look at the ongoing feud between former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent and ex-Milwaukee Brewer Owner and current Commissioner Bud Selig.
Midwest Airlines & Northwest Battle it out in Milwaukee
Midwest, in a somewhat bold move, is expanding Milwaukee service to Northwest’s fortress hub in Minneapolis. (Northwest has been expanding nonstop flights from Midwest’s Milwaukee hub to several cities in an obvious effort to kill their much smaller competitor).
Belle Isle Aquarium VR Tour
Designed by Albert Kahn, opened to the public in 1904. The Belle Isle Aquarium is North America’s oldest continuously operating public aquarium. The aquarium is the home of 146 species, many of these are native Michigan fish. The building itself is a one of kind. The interior is a classic example of early 20th century architecture.