Freedom To Choose

Power Quote for the Week

Welcome to Sunday's regular feature. Every week you can look for a witty, wise, or profound quotation from assorted folks about power.

I choose these quotations about power as it refers to electricity, since that is what this blog is about. Sometimes though, I'll select a quotation about power, as it relates to the human condition.

Motivational speaker and author Stephen R. Covey said: "Between stimulus and response is our greatest power - the freedom to choose."

Sometimes, the difference between success and failure is a decision that sets one on a certain path. Analyze carefully. Gather information. Act accordingly.

Bringing Meaning To Madness

Choose wisely.

My Favorite Tax

I was reading an article by Scott Burns in the Business section of the Houston Chronicle recently. The title caught my eye because it had the word tax in it. I like to keep abreast of any news that might indicate changes afoot in the taxes we pay. Like most Americans, I think we pay too darn many from property taxes to sales taxes to income taxes.

Like Mr. Burns says in his article, I'm like everyone else. My favorite tax is one that doesn't affect me. Want to tax smokers? Bring it on. I don't smoke. I like to think I'm too smart for that since I saw my dad contribute to his death by smoking. My father-in-law too.

Taxes I'm Okay With

Want to slap a luxury tax on a yacht? Go for it. I don't plan to throw away a few million on a floating status symbol.

Want to tax imported luxury cars? Good for you. I buy American because I know enough about economics and balance of trade that it makes me feel downright virtuous to keep our economy strong by supporting the American automotive industry.

How about extremely expensive liquor? I can live with that. I'm a wine drinker mostly. Besides, I've still got a bottle of well-aged Scotch that I bought in a duty-free shop that should last me a very long time.

Let's Change

However, I know that eventually they'll run out of taxes I can live with then they'll start raising income taxes. After all, who do you think paid for all those clunkers that are being crushed if not us, taxpaying Americans?

Now's the time to make a change to a flat national sales tax. Everybody, individuals and businesses, would pay a flat percentage. They could, and should, exempt low income earners. With a small 1-2 per cent flat sales tax, the Treasury would overflow, and we'd all have much more from our hardwork than we currently get.

Think about it. You pay, let's say 1.5% of your annual salary, and Bill Gates pays 2% of his. Wow, we could balance the budget in nothing flat.

Bringing Meaning To Madness

How about it, America? Write your representatives and tell them you're in favor of a flat, across the board, national sales tax of 1.5%. That would be a win/win situation for everyone.

Faraday's Namesake Measurement

In the history of electricity, the invention of the capacitor, a device that can store a charge, began in the 18th century with German Ewald Georg von Kleist. A year later Dutch physicist Pieter van Musschenbroek invented a similar storage mechanism and named it the Leyden jar after the University of Leyden where he worked.

Daniel Gralath combined several Leyden jars in parallel, a "battery" that increased the charge storage capacity. Even Ben Franklin worked with a Leyden jar. He disproved the theory that the charge was stored in water when in fact it was stored on the glass itself. He's responsible for the term battery.

Storage media grew smaller and smaller and came to be known as condensers. Sometimes that word is still used instead of capacitor.

Since the capacitor is capable of storing an electrical charge, it therefore stores electrical energy in the resulting field. The measurement of a device's capacitance is called farad in honor of Michael Faraday. The symbol F is used to represent 1 farad, and that's the capacitance that develops a potential difference of one volt when it stores a charge of one coulomb.

Bringing Meaning to Madness

Aren't you glad you don't have to know all this in order to use electricity. Flip a switch, and the lights come on.

Don't Dream Small

Power Quote for the Week

Welcome to Sunday's regular feature. Every week you can look for a witty, wise, or profound quotation from assorted folks about power.

I choose these quotations about power as it refers to electricity, since that is what this blog is about. Sometimes though, I'll select a quotation about power, as it relates to the human condition.

Goethe

What should you know about Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? First, how to pronounce his surname. It's a hard G sound, and, in German, is very similar to "Ger Tuh."

His life spanned 1749 to 1832, and he was a German writer, considered by many to be the most important German writer of all. His work influenced not just Germany but all of western civilization.

Goethe said: Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.

Bringing Meaning to Madness

I hope you enjoy this week's Power Quote. If you do, let me know, and I'll keep 'em coming.

The Shack

Do you shop at Radio Shack, the little store that from Fort Worth, Texas, that became a huge store? Pretty soon, you'll be calling them The Shack. Maybe you already call them that. A lot of people do.

Their marketing officer decided to "embrace the fact" that so many associates, investors, and customers dropped the Radio from the title long ago and just called them The Shack.

Bringing Meaning To Madness

Change is constant. Get used to it.

Alert: New Phone for CenterPoint

Just thought I'd make sure you Texas residents who use CenterPoint know that they've changed their phone numbers recently. You do read your statements, don't you?

If you live in the CenterPoint service area for electricity, your Emergency Outage number, effective August 1, 2009. These are the new numbers for CenterPoint service area: 1-800-332-7143 or 713-207-2222.

Even if you don't use CenterPoint as your Retail Energy Provider (REP), they are still the transmission service company for this area, and they're responsible for the power lines, poles, etc.

Your REP, whoever that is, should provide service information to you so you'll know what to do in case of Outages and other emergencies. You may want to contact your REP to confirm your emergency service phone numbers.

Bringing Meaning to Madness

You must read your electricity bill, even the small print.

PGA Championship Upset

Today I watched History in the making on the PGA Tour. Tiger Woods had never lost a major championship when leading, going into the final round. He was 14 and 0 until today.

History From Many Aspects

Today, Tiger's record was broken by Y. E. Yang, a 37-year-old South Korean.

Yang also became the first Asian to win a Major PGA Championship. The worthy challenger was the first to dethrone the mighty Tiger. Yang did it in such a poised and professional way that no one could really be upset. Except maybe Tiger at himself.

It was nice watching Yang play such great golf. Even though I am a die-hard Tiger fan, my hat is off to Yang! He went out there, stood toe to toe with Tiger, and took the game. It was a historic moment in so many ways.

I also know Tiger will bounce back and continue to win many more tournaments and a few more majors. Probably more than a few, or so I hope.

Bringing Meaning To Madness

Oh, another thing. Yang, though born in South Korea, lives in Texas now. Smart guy.