Lee.org

My very good friend Travis has been running a few independent businesses very successfully for the last 4 years or so. He’s been growing at a tremendous but consistent pace. He started with Smartflix.com. It’s now the world’s largest how-to video rental store. He then expanded to Heavyink.com which is poised to become the Amazon.com of comic books (and then some). Both of these companies are functioning and doing well. At last count, I think he’s got 8 employees or so. HeavyInk is new. He’d like to expand it. To do this, he needs to add stock and man-power to get it rolling. He’s looking to borrow money. I personally think this is an excellent opportunity. I’ve been wanting to invest in this business for a while and I’m going to try now. I’ll let him tell you about it:

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Speaking of growth: we’d love to borrow somewhere between $100,000 and $500,000. We pay a nice interest rate. If you or someone you know is interested in loaning us funds (min amount is probably $20k or so; minimum term is probably 2+ years), get in touch. References, spreadsheets, accountant-verified books, etc. would, of course, be displayed.

If you’re not interested in loaning funds, but are looking to invest, that’s not our first choice, but we can talk. Minimum amount is probably $100-200k.
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Email me directly at for more information.

I just got update:returned a new laptop. It has Windows Vista, mostly because getting Windows XP via Dell would have cost $200 EXTRA. Though I heard last night from Rick L that if you call them on the phone and tell them, “I’m not buying a computer from you if it has Vista”, you can get XP at no additional charge.

I’ve been using Vista for about 1 hr and I’m just about ready to go back to XP. Vista is very pretty. Performance-wise, it makes my 1.9 Ghz dual core processor feel like a 400Mhz PII. It’ll often show you a screen but actually it’s not ready for you to click on it for 3 or 5 or 8 seconds. It’s very frustrating.

And for the security… this is how I feel (original):

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2-12-08 Followup: I returned the Vista Laptop. Here’s another humorous video on the subject (original)

“I switched back to XP 3 weeks ago. …So much happier.”

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2-14-08 Followup: Derek points us to this one (original)

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My favorite t-shirt is one that I purchased about 15 years ago in Boston. People often ask me about it. They are simply memorized by it! I likely purchased it at a Tufts University on-campus sale. I’ve been meaning for years to try and find more by the same artist, Ken Brown.

I tracked him down via the Mirror Image website. Rick Roth at that site forwarded my message on to Ken and he wrote me back.

He wrote

Rick forwarded this little time capsule today and it gave me a chuckle. I wish I could help you out with a shirt selection, but I’ve been out of the biz for many years. I do miss it though and may yet reconsider. Meanwhile, check out hoopla.org (the ken Brown section at the top o the noggin’) for recent rantings. )

I took a look and… wow, that art brings back memories and gives me a great smile. I’m pretty sure I recognize a few and I -definitely- recognize the style. It reminds me of a card and “stuff” store that was on Mass Ave near Gypsy Moon. Apparently, he’s the guy they bought all their cards from!

Take a look at Ken Brown’s comical commodities!

I got a ticket, a “citation” for having an expired car registration in Oakland. That’s handled in the “Superior Court of California, County of Alameda”. Actually my registration wasn’t expired but I didn’t have the new registration in the car at the time. But that’s not the point. The point is, I wasted 1 1/2 hours of my day this morning going to Oakland Superior Court and I’m here to tell you how to make your experience easier.

At the bottom of my citation, it said that I was supposed to go to court on 1-22-08 at 9am. This is wrong. Here’s how it really works: It takes 4-8 forever(?) weeks from the time the citation is issued until it’s in the computer. Then I’ll be sent a “courtesy notice” by snail mail telling me what I’m supposed to do. Note that my violation was on 11-22-07. Today is 1-24-08… 8 weeks later and my citation still isn’t in the system. I should also note that the phone number the officer wrote isn’t the correct number… but when you call, it tells you what the new number is.

The nice gentleman at the information booth told me to check the status of my citation every 2 weeks at http://www.acgov.org/courts. (note: the site actually forwards to this site). Or I can call the Wiley W Manuel Courthouse - Traffic Division at 510-627-4701. But I’ve called that number and sat on the line waiting for someone to answer the phone for 20 minutes in vain. Use the website instead.

The citation said that I was supposed to show up at 9am. This is wrong. The nice gentleman at the info desk told me that registration for the morning court session opens at 8am. Shortly it will open at 7:30am. But at 7:30am, there is already a long line outside so you’ll do best to show up at the courthouse at 7am or even 6:30am. That way, you’ll be able to register for one of the 120 spots in the 10am morning court session. If you don’t get into the first session, you’ll be registering for the second session which starts at 2pm (IE your entire day wasted). And if there were too many people in front of you, you’ll be told to come back tomorrow, rinse and repeat. Also note that there is no afternoon court session on Thursdays. The nice gentleman at the info desk told me that many people were turned away today (Thursday) because of that.

The address of the Wiley W. Manual Courthouse is 661 Washington, Oakland, CA between 6th and 7th st. When I approached the building, I initially almost walked into the detention center (IE: Jail) in the same structure on 7th St because it looked all governmenty. Don’t make that mistake.

I borrowed Barry’s Kill a Watt. It’s a gizmo that tells you how many watts and kilowatt*hours your appliances are using. I found out a couple interesting tidbits.

Electricity costs me $0.11 per kilowatt. In my small apartment, I never get out of the first tier of electric rates, which peak out at $0.36 per kilowatt.

• Baking 1 loaf of bread in my Breadman Ultimate automatic bread maker = 0.29 kilowatt*hrs = $0.03. When the electric bread maker oven is heating (maybe 1/2 the time the bread is in the bake cycle) running it uses 387 watts.
• Running the gas oven uses a constant 340 watts to keep the igniter hot. That’s to say using my GAS oven uses more ELECTRICITY than my ELECTRIC oven!

• My computer running at idle = 122 watts.
• My computer running at “full tilt” working on SETI@Home = 192 watts. So running SETI@Home is like leaving a 70 watt lightbulb on all the time in addition to running my computer. If I left it on 24×7, that’d be a $67 donation to SETI@Home each year.

• Charlotte’s laptop= variable between 18 and 50 watts
• When Charlotte’s laptop is turned off, the power supply uses <1 watt.

• My main LCD monitor running with mostly black on the screen = 33 watts.
• My main LCD monitor running with mostly white on the screen = 33 watts.
• Charlotte’s laptop uses 6 watts less when the screen is dark than when it’s bright.

• All of my gizmos turned “off” use 29 watts. Scanner=12, router=10, modem=2, answering machine=5, monitor1<1, monitor2<1, computer<1, clock radio<1. That’s $28 per year.

• Refrigerator=87 watts when running
• Catching it? Priceless.

I get so many comments from people about my first post about speeding tickets in New Jersey, I opened up this second post for comments. Note that everything you need to know is in my first post on the subject. You don’t need to read this second post.

That said, feel free to add your own comments. If you ask a question like the following, I will -not- answer it because those issues have already been covered in my first post:

I got a speeding ticket in xxx. I was going xx in a xx zone. I shouldn’t have gotten the ticket because xxx and xxx and xxx. How do I get out of the ticket? What’s my best defense?

You’ve got to be kidding.

This comment recently appeared under my “Webkinz” post:

hi Im Debbie Rutter and the wife of the maker of webkinz World!! I have enery rare item and I get 2000 kinzcash a day for free! My computer is hooked up to a special program that alows to buy the rare items in the w- shop even the 10th webkinz beds!!! I can get a 10th webkinz bed for 10 kinzcash!! If you want 2,000 kinzcash a day and every rare item in the W-shop then e-mail me your username and password.
Me and my huspan just want to make kids happy!!
Thanks
Debbie Rutter

Apparently there is an active black market in virtual Webkinz items. That’s pretty obscene, especially considering that Webkinz are geared for kids under 15.

I’m on the marketing mailing list for Atlanta Hobby, a model airplane store I like. I just got this Christmas greeting that I rather appreciate. Here it is: (more…)

Last year I was given a membership to the Exploratorium for Christmas by my aunt Dorothy. It was great fun going. I think I went 6 times or so, usually with a friend. I totally dig that place!

I haven’t renewed the membership yet… Memberships start January 1st. I think I’ll get one the next time I get the chance to go.

Charlotte went just yesterday and had a great time!

Woke up and had fun before getting out of bed

Blueberry pancakes with grade B maple syrup.. the tiny blueberries from Trader Joe’s and grade B from Coomb farms in Brattleboro via Rainbow

Went to the Holiday Gifty Art Sale at the Crucible.

Went sailing with Dan Goldwater and friends. From Berkeley, around Alcatraz and back! Wonderful. Sea water, sails, good conversation, propane powered potato gun, “hey, it’s getting dark, we should turn on the running lights.” “Well, yeah, we ’should’”. (what do you want, it’s a free boat?)

Had a great dinner with RICK and Charlotte at Everett & Jones Barbeque in Oakland.

And our evening ended with a bang when we watched a pickup truck in Oakland drive too fast around a turn in front of us roll over. We pulled over, expecting to have to call an ambulance but the kids inside were scared or whatnot and they put the truck back in gear and drove off as fast as they could