Get Off The Fence Already!

The decision you’ve made to seek a better life is HUGE, enormous, gigantic… just use whatever superlative you find appropriate to describe the importance of that decision. Hmmm… Am I being a smartass about this? Not at all. The fact is that millions of people around the world complain and gripe about their lives. The say they want something better. Some of them even manage to sound convincing when they tell their friends that they’re going to do something to change their lives. Yet, relatively few of them actually follow through, that is, few of them actually make the decision to change. Making a decision is an absolute thing. There is no wavering, or being on the fence. Truly making a decision to change means just that: you absolutely intend to (and take action) to change.

This thing about making a decision is so absolute, and so important, that if you qualify it then you really have not made a decision. What do I mean? Well, let’s say you “have made a decision” to lose weight, so today you will pig out and get started on your weight loss regimen tomorrow. Are you being honest with yourself? Do you really mean it? I submit you are not. Yet we all have been through similar experiences; in fact we even joke about it – like when we “make” New Year’s resolutions.

Energy, Green or Otherwise

In my recent ezine@rticles.com piece, I wrote about my amazement at our dependence on relatively few sources for producing electricity.

It may seem like a departure for me to write about the subject of electricity. Given that this blog is about the universal nature of all that surrounds us (and that which interests me), I figured I’d devote some time and effort to such an important subject. After all, were it not for electricity, you wouldn’t be reading this!

I found a web site that markets a kit for making solar panels. I was unaware that solar technology had progressed to the point where a ‘do-it-yourself’ (DIY) person could make his or her own electricity.
Some of the articles used to market the product got me thinking about the way we refer to energy.

For instance, one of the articles states that that “The sun has always been a source of heat energy and light energy. With the advancement of technology, the sun’s energy can be used to create other forms of energy.”
Strictly speaking, of course, we cannot create energy because it already exists. We can, however, harness the energy from one source and direct it towards a specific use. Minor point, I concede, since the purpose of the article is to market a product. I did find an interesting nugget of information about current methods of producing electricity that are not dependent on oil or coal.

It has been estimated that 90 percent of the electrical energy produced by renewable resources is produced solely by hydro power. Dams are built to help generate electricity by tapping the water power. The hydro energy or water energy is an effective renewable energy, but it’s impractical for most residential applications (meaning each house having a hydro plant), so it’s typically generated on a large scale. Also, there have been some concerns about using this energy because it is supposed to adversely affect the water-borne flora and fauna.
That leaves solar energy as the next best alternative to reduce or eliminate your electric bill. After all, energy from the sun is what makes our existence on this rock possible, and it’s the most abundant and reliable source of energy. So the DIY crowd just needs a little help in getting the know-how for harnessing the sun’s energy, and harnessing more legal tender into their wallets.

After all, the sun will shine tomorrow, and energy – green (as in money) or otherwise – will be available to all of us.

The Winds of Change

I’m sitting by the pool on a seemingly rainy day, watching the kids play in the water. The winds have picked up, and suddenly a quasi-poetic thought about all the change taking place in the world enters my mind. Clearly, I’m taking myself too seriously. I know that a low pressure system is making its way to Arizona, and that’s the reason why the day looks gloomy compared to the usually sunny, hot and cheerful summer day I’ve grown accustomed to.

Yet, my normally detached demeanor is being challenged. I know better than to watch the news, and today I got a reminder why a recovering news addict (me) should stay away from certain channels on the TV. I admit, I fell off the wagon.

Then again, compared to the cheating, Christian S.C. governor; protesters in Iran; the dozens of dead victims of terror in that Iraqi market; the unemployment rate, and the North Koreans, the winds of change caressing my face right now feel pretty darned good. Yeah, that’s it. I know that change is as constant as routine is complacent.

I wonder what’s on the sci-fi channel?