The following is a video of what I do on Wednesday afternoon and evenings during the Lenten (Easter) and Advent (Christmas) seasons. It entails going and buying groceries, taking them to church, preparing, and serving a meal to 60 to 70 people from our congregation. These events take place all over Catawba County and they bring cohesion to the community.
Looking at ways this system could be improved, would be if Sam's could have a computer system that I could call into with my needs, that could tell me the costs, and possibly help me inventory the products. The product could be available to me for pick-up. This would create more efficient uses of time and money.
There is also video included of the Church's audio/visual computer system and what the church's intentions are with this system. Through a capital campaign that was managed and implemented by the leaders of Mount Olive Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hickory, North Carolina in accordance with the offerings, donations, and commitments of the congregation, we have seen the church move towards 21st century audio, video, and computer technology and communication with its congregation and the outside world.
This A/V system is ready made for a Ultra Highspeed Broadband Network that has the capability of real-time audio and video delivery to individuals and groups located outside of Mount Olive's sanctuary and Property. The system creates the possibility of reaching shut-in members of the congregation, addressing issues of overflow attendance of Mount Olive events, and promoting special events to the community and others outside of the congregation.
Mount Olive's Audio-Video System
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
How can the United States avoid Bankruptcy?
Washington Post - Moody's warns nations to cut spending or risk AAA ratings - By Howard Schneider - Washington Post Foreign Service - Tuesday, March 16, 2010
New York Times - Moody’s Says U.S. Debt Could Test Triple-A Rating - By DAVID JOLLY and CATHERINE RAMPELL - Published: March 15, 2010
We have already lost our Aaa rating, if they are talking about it. Moody's has close ties with our government and has vested interest in propping up this rating. Look how Moody's propped up Enron while the tech bubble imploded in 2000. Also, look how Moody's propped up the rating of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, while the implosion of the housing market was already set in stone. How can anyone trust information coming from this credit rating agency?
If the U.S. credit rating falls that means that investor's will look at our Treasury Bills and Agency Securities as riskier investments. Therefore, investors will look towards higher rates of return on their investments. That means that the U.S. will be paying higher interest on any money borrowed, as well as debt that has already been accrued. The days of massive deficits will be coming to an end, one way or another.
At a time when we are suffering from unemployment rates of 10% to 20% on the national level (15% to 25% locally) depending on how one looks at the numbers, under current thought processes and practices we are going to see spending slashed and taxes raised dramatically. We may well soon see in this country what is already taking place in Iceland, Greece, and Portugal, where strikes and citizen protest marches are leading opposition to tough measures of austerity directly related to reduction of spending on entitlement programs.
From the Washington Post article:
I know that my personal income level is where it was 10 years ago and things are a lot more expensive; then I look and see the money that some government officials make and it blows my mind. I was thinking about it today after a few conversations with some friends who are in a similar predicament as myself. I think this is a valid question.
Are government officials not willing to rock the boat and take some chances because of their income? Have we set our nation up for failure, because of the way that we compensate our elected officials and the bureaucracy?
I don't want to get into the validity of the payscale. In a time when so many of our citizens are suffering through unemployment or underemployment, I do believe that the questions asked about public compensation are valid. The private sector wants to feel that the public sector is fighting the fight alongside us.
I think it is also time to reign in the banks and I wonder if our government officials are willing to do this. There was a gentleman that is running for Catawba County Commission who stated in the Hickory Daily Record that Catawba County needs to tax the Wall Street conglomerate banks. I dismissed him because I don't want another tax being passed on to me at a time when I feel the banks are already ripping us off. But, this man's thought was genuine and I do understand what he was getting at.
If, however, our elected officials at all levels of government would be willing to stand together with the citizenry they are supposed to represent, then maybe we could start getting some of our money back from the banksters who fomented this mess. People like Webster Tarpley and others have pushed around the idea of a Tobin tax on financial transactions involving securities and derivatives, such as the infamous "Credit Default Swaps." I have come around to their way of thinking.
The Wall Streeters pushed this "Free for All - No Holds Barred" idea of Global Trade. Look at the end results. They are the rich who are getting richer and they are definitely not looking out for the good of the country. Tarpley calls this Tobin Tax "the Robin Hood Tax." I agree with the statement that the Wall Street bankers (along with their willing governmental accomplices) created this depression and it is time that they pay for it.
In reality, what pain have the people who created the mess, Wall Street bankers and Government Regulators, felt from this debacle, especially when one can see that so much fraud was committed. Yet, the American people have lost jobs, felt the credit squeeze, had banking fees grow drastically, watched in terror as national Debt continues to pile up, and we can go on and on and on. Raise your hand if your home mortgage is under water. Who are the real terrorists? Who causes more fear in our lives?
The money raised from this tax can be used to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. You would have to be blind not to notice the rot going on in many urban areas within U.S. Cities. This money should be put towards productive purposes that create value. It could go towards broadband initiatives, creating micro-financing capital, working on alternative energy and transportation, facilitating biotech and nanotechnology.
Folks, you can look at what I say here and say it is pessimistic, but if you will take a truly good look at what I expose, then you will see that it is optimistic. The difference is you. If you are willing to take action by spreading the word, becoming involved, calling your governmental representatives, etc. we can effect change that will make our lives better. We are circling the drain and if we don't take some drastic measures to rectify our economic lot in life, then we are sure to create a dark age period that could last for generations or we can say enough is enough and start doing something about it. Whether this country goes bankrupt or not will depend on you!
New York Times - Moody’s Says U.S. Debt Could Test Triple-A Rating - By DAVID JOLLY and CATHERINE RAMPELL - Published: March 15, 2010
We have already lost our Aaa rating, if they are talking about it. Moody's has close ties with our government and has vested interest in propping up this rating. Look how Moody's propped up Enron while the tech bubble imploded in 2000. Also, look how Moody's propped up the rating of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, while the implosion of the housing market was already set in stone. How can anyone trust information coming from this credit rating agency?
If the U.S. credit rating falls that means that investor's will look at our Treasury Bills and Agency Securities as riskier investments. Therefore, investors will look towards higher rates of return on their investments. That means that the U.S. will be paying higher interest on any money borrowed, as well as debt that has already been accrued. The days of massive deficits will be coming to an end, one way or another.
At a time when we are suffering from unemployment rates of 10% to 20% on the national level (15% to 25% locally) depending on how one looks at the numbers, under current thought processes and practices we are going to see spending slashed and taxes raised dramatically. We may well soon see in this country what is already taking place in Iceland, Greece, and Portugal, where strikes and citizen protest marches are leading opposition to tough measures of austerity directly related to reduction of spending on entitlement programs.
From the Washington Post article:
Moody's reported, but "growth alone will not resolve an increasingly complicated debt equation. Preserving debt affordability at levels consistent with AAA ratings will invariably require fiscal adjustments of a magnitude that, in some cases, will test social cohesion."The Hound's Take: Personally I don't see a way out of this mess. The key is how long it will persist. I see so many people who really don't understand this crisis. They think we are coming out of this mess and it looks to me like we are entering the second phase. I know so many people who are having a hard time making ends meet and yet there are others who don't appear to be suffering much at all.
I know that my personal income level is where it was 10 years ago and things are a lot more expensive; then I look and see the money that some government officials make and it blows my mind. I was thinking about it today after a few conversations with some friends who are in a similar predicament as myself. I think this is a valid question.
Are government officials not willing to rock the boat and take some chances because of their income? Have we set our nation up for failure, because of the way that we compensate our elected officials and the bureaucracy?
I don't want to get into the validity of the payscale. In a time when so many of our citizens are suffering through unemployment or underemployment, I do believe that the questions asked about public compensation are valid. The private sector wants to feel that the public sector is fighting the fight alongside us.
I think it is also time to reign in the banks and I wonder if our government officials are willing to do this. There was a gentleman that is running for Catawba County Commission who stated in the Hickory Daily Record that Catawba County needs to tax the Wall Street conglomerate banks. I dismissed him because I don't want another tax being passed on to me at a time when I feel the banks are already ripping us off. But, this man's thought was genuine and I do understand what he was getting at.
If, however, our elected officials at all levels of government would be willing to stand together with the citizenry they are supposed to represent, then maybe we could start getting some of our money back from the banksters who fomented this mess. People like Webster Tarpley and others have pushed around the idea of a Tobin tax on financial transactions involving securities and derivatives, such as the infamous "Credit Default Swaps." I have come around to their way of thinking.
The Wall Streeters pushed this "Free for All - No Holds Barred" idea of Global Trade. Look at the end results. They are the rich who are getting richer and they are definitely not looking out for the good of the country. Tarpley calls this Tobin Tax "the Robin Hood Tax." I agree with the statement that the Wall Street bankers (along with their willing governmental accomplices) created this depression and it is time that they pay for it.
In reality, what pain have the people who created the mess, Wall Street bankers and Government Regulators, felt from this debacle, especially when one can see that so much fraud was committed. Yet, the American people have lost jobs, felt the credit squeeze, had banking fees grow drastically, watched in terror as national Debt continues to pile up, and we can go on and on and on. Raise your hand if your home mortgage is under water. Who are the real terrorists? Who causes more fear in our lives?
The money raised from this tax can be used to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. You would have to be blind not to notice the rot going on in many urban areas within U.S. Cities. This money should be put towards productive purposes that create value. It could go towards broadband initiatives, creating micro-financing capital, working on alternative energy and transportation, facilitating biotech and nanotechnology.
Folks, you can look at what I say here and say it is pessimistic, but if you will take a truly good look at what I expose, then you will see that it is optimistic. The difference is you. If you are willing to take action by spreading the word, becoming involved, calling your governmental representatives, etc. we can effect change that will make our lives better. We are circling the drain and if we don't take some drastic measures to rectify our economic lot in life, then we are sure to create a dark age period that could last for generations or we can say enough is enough and start doing something about it. Whether this country goes bankrupt or not will depend on you!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Hickory's Diaspora - Bring Home the Scattered Seeds
A Diaspora - (From Wikipedia) - (in Greek, διασπορά – "a scattering [of seeds]") is any movement of a population sharing common national and/or ethnic identity. While refugees may or may not ultimately settle in a new geographic location, the term diaspora refers to a permanently displaced and relocated collective.
The word "Diaspora" was used to refer to the population of Jews exiled from Israel in 607 BCE by the Babylonians, and from Judea in 70 CE by the Roman Empire. Many people look at the Diaspora involving cultures of countries that been displaced because of war. There are examples of this throughout the United States. Think of the Immigration of Cuban nationals to Miami that has taken place over the last half century. Here is a link from The Afghan Embassy detailing the influx of Afghans over the last 30 years due to the wars in that country.
What I would like the readers of this blog to think about is the exodus of people from the Hickory area that has taken place over the last 10 years due to the loss of our manufacturing base. We have seen a massive economic shift from a prosperous, growing mid-sized community to a community whose population has begun to stagnate and whose per capita income has not kept up with the state, the Sun Belt region, or the United States as a whole.
This is an issue that was spoken about during the Future Economy Council meeting on June 18, 2009. The discussion centered on a conceptual belief that there are connections of people throughout the world that may have an interest and/or empathy in this area's plight and these people may be more than willing to lend us support.
Many of our current local inhabitants are pessimistic about the State of our Community's Condition and it is a struggle to change their mindset. A positive process towards progress might involve getting people who are former residents of this area, or who have secondary ties to the area, involved in the reformation of our economy and culture. This is a way to maybe bring a new perspective to ongoing discussions and change people's minds that are stuck in the old ways of thinking.
Terry Bledsoe, Catawba County's Chief Information Officer and the President of the Future Economy Council, has talked about Catawba County's utilization of Facebook. The idea was to gain participation from locals to get (county government) messages out. Unintentionally it was discovered that people all over the world have signed up for the page, because they want a connection with Catawba County. They want to know what is going on in Catawba County.
I joined that Catawba County's Facebook page long ago. That site currently has 1,414 fans. The City of Hickory's page also has 914 fans. But, what is amazing is a private site on Facebook called "I'm from Hickory, North Carolina." That site currently has a total of 3,059 fans. Like Terry stated, there are a lot of people who are interested in having a connection (Past, Present, or Future) with our area.
When we look at the Diaspora of this area we need to ask some important questions:
That is one reason why this Google Ultra Highspeed Broadband initiative excites me so much. It is a solution that can give us a fair chance to retain our area's best and brightest young people, as well as attract the best and brightest minds from around the world. Not many solutions can so easily shift our intellectual paradigm from Brain Drain to Brain Gain. It allows us to develop people who can lead lives rooted on a solid foundation. That type of cultural structure will lead to economic stability and resiliency.
I would like our area officials to study the above by initiating a survey of this Diaspora. We need to form these connections and attach ourselves to the Hickory Natives that we have lost. Does what I am proposing here not make sense? Are there any negatives associated with this? This leads us away from what has seemed to be a scattershot approach involving growth issues. The questions that I posed above will go a long way towards helping us resolve many issues that this community faces and maybe ensure that we never head down this path again.
The word "Diaspora" was used to refer to the population of Jews exiled from Israel in 607 BCE by the Babylonians, and from Judea in 70 CE by the Roman Empire. Many people look at the Diaspora involving cultures of countries that been displaced because of war. There are examples of this throughout the United States. Think of the Immigration of Cuban nationals to Miami that has taken place over the last half century. Here is a link from The Afghan Embassy detailing the influx of Afghans over the last 30 years due to the wars in that country.
What I would like the readers of this blog to think about is the exodus of people from the Hickory area that has taken place over the last 10 years due to the loss of our manufacturing base. We have seen a massive economic shift from a prosperous, growing mid-sized community to a community whose population has begun to stagnate and whose per capita income has not kept up with the state, the Sun Belt region, or the United States as a whole.
This is an issue that was spoken about during the Future Economy Council meeting on June 18, 2009. The discussion centered on a conceptual belief that there are connections of people throughout the world that may have an interest and/or empathy in this area's plight and these people may be more than willing to lend us support.
Many of our current local inhabitants are pessimistic about the State of our Community's Condition and it is a struggle to change their mindset. A positive process towards progress might involve getting people who are former residents of this area, or who have secondary ties to the area, involved in the reformation of our economy and culture. This is a way to maybe bring a new perspective to ongoing discussions and change people's minds that are stuck in the old ways of thinking.
Terry Bledsoe, Catawba County's Chief Information Officer and the President of the Future Economy Council, has talked about Catawba County's utilization of Facebook. The idea was to gain participation from locals to get (county government) messages out. Unintentionally it was discovered that people all over the world have signed up for the page, because they want a connection with Catawba County. They want to know what is going on in Catawba County.
I joined that Catawba County's Facebook page long ago. That site currently has 1,414 fans. The City of Hickory's page also has 914 fans. But, what is amazing is a private site on Facebook called "I'm from Hickory, North Carolina." That site currently has a total of 3,059 fans. Like Terry stated, there are a lot of people who are interested in having a connection (Past, Present, or Future) with our area.
When we look at the Diaspora of this area we need to ask some important questions:
1) Why did you leave here?I think that is a good start. I know that many of you have read my postings, articles, and beliefs about our loss of the younger demographic. In the last year, that has moved from what Futurists call a Weak Signal to an issue of accepted relevance. I believe that we all now understand what a problem the loss of our community's young energy poses.
2) If you left here because of an employment or educational opportunity and that opportunity had been available in this area, would you have left?
3) If that employment opportunity were to present itself in this area, in the future, would you come back to the area?
4) What problems do you see with the area?
5) Are you interested in helping the Hickory area turn its economic plight around?
6) What current tangible solution do you see helping the Hickory area?
That is one reason why this Google Ultra Highspeed Broadband initiative excites me so much. It is a solution that can give us a fair chance to retain our area's best and brightest young people, as well as attract the best and brightest minds from around the world. Not many solutions can so easily shift our intellectual paradigm from Brain Drain to Brain Gain. It allows us to develop people who can lead lives rooted on a solid foundation. That type of cultural structure will lead to economic stability and resiliency.
I would like our area officials to study the above by initiating a survey of this Diaspora. We need to form these connections and attach ourselves to the Hickory Natives that we have lost. Does what I am proposing here not make sense? Are there any negatives associated with this? This leads us away from what has seemed to be a scattershot approach involving growth issues. The questions that I posed above will go a long way towards helping us resolve many issues that this community faces and maybe ensure that we never head down this path again.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Google - Come make History in Hickory!!!
Over the last year, since I began participating in the Future Economy Council and started trying to assess this world in which we live, I have found comfort from many of the people I have gotten to know as compatriots of the Technological Society. I can't say that we are similar, because we aren't. We are very unique individuals. I'm not going to name names here, because what I write here isn't about names, it's about the mindset. We are a group of people tied together by the fact that we live our lives "Outside of the Box."
There are many of us who are of like mind in believing that Technology will enrich our lives. I don't believe any of us are scared of technology. There are already many people in this community who fully understand what will happen if this Google Fiber to the Home Initiative were brought to the Hickory-Lenoir area. We really want this to happen, because as I have said, this is the game changer and we accept and embrace the ways it will change our lives.
One thing that has been stated is that we as a community need to come forward with ideas of how we envision this Google project changing our lives personally. I believe that is a hard task for many people in this community to do, because their lives have been so rigidly structured for so long, that it is hard for them to let their imagination run free and run down alternative paths towards innovation. Words and phrases that come to mind are "Let's be realistic" ... impossible ... relevant ..."Can't be done"... "Show me where it's been done before."...
Now the people who have lived in these worlds of limitations are being asked to open their minds to limitless possibilities. Heck, I am sure that there are some people in this community that will believe that is impossible. But, I am not here to talk about the relevant. I am here to talk about the irrelevant.
Whether we can pull people's minds into a new way of thinking before Google makes a decision is irrelevant. We as a community are very much capable of being innovative. We have had plenty of tools that have been laid to spur knowledge and creativity over the last few years. Lenoir-Rhyne, CVCC, CCC&TI, The Appalachian State Partnership, the Engineering Center, the Manufacturing Solutions Center, and the excellent SALT Block have developed and are still developing into top notch centers of academia, scientific, and cultural study. Their is also the fact that Appalachian State's Millennial Campus is looking to the Hickory area for its development. If Google makes the decision to lay this fiber here, then it will bring new inhabitants to our community who will spur that growth of knowledge, creative, and innovative endeavors to even higher levels.
What I hope that Google will take into consideration is the fact that if they come here they will have a great story to tell in the not too distant future. They can tell the story of how they created value in a community. They can tell how they played "buy low and sell high" at its finest. They will have entered a community with a lot of great ingredients that just needs a catalyst to get the energy flowing again. Google's Fiber is the rocket fuel we need. I truly believe that if this happens, we are going to take off to the stratosphere.
Other communities might have a lot to offer, but we have the ways to facilitate these connections expeditiously. We're ready! We have the Data Centers, we have the manufacturers, we have buildings that need new uses, and we have the rail corridor that is ready made for this effort. What a story this would be and in the end isn't that what it is all about?
Google, please come to Hickory and make History!!!
There are many of us who are of like mind in believing that Technology will enrich our lives. I don't believe any of us are scared of technology. There are already many people in this community who fully understand what will happen if this Google Fiber to the Home Initiative were brought to the Hickory-Lenoir area. We really want this to happen, because as I have said, this is the game changer and we accept and embrace the ways it will change our lives.
One thing that has been stated is that we as a community need to come forward with ideas of how we envision this Google project changing our lives personally. I believe that is a hard task for many people in this community to do, because their lives have been so rigidly structured for so long, that it is hard for them to let their imagination run free and run down alternative paths towards innovation. Words and phrases that come to mind are "Let's be realistic" ... impossible ... relevant ..."Can't be done"... "Show me where it's been done before."...
Now the people who have lived in these worlds of limitations are being asked to open their minds to limitless possibilities. Heck, I am sure that there are some people in this community that will believe that is impossible. But, I am not here to talk about the relevant. I am here to talk about the irrelevant.
Whether we can pull people's minds into a new way of thinking before Google makes a decision is irrelevant. We as a community are very much capable of being innovative. We have had plenty of tools that have been laid to spur knowledge and creativity over the last few years. Lenoir-Rhyne, CVCC, CCC&TI, The Appalachian State Partnership, the Engineering Center, the Manufacturing Solutions Center, and the excellent SALT Block have developed and are still developing into top notch centers of academia, scientific, and cultural study. Their is also the fact that Appalachian State's Millennial Campus is looking to the Hickory area for its development. If Google makes the decision to lay this fiber here, then it will bring new inhabitants to our community who will spur that growth of knowledge, creative, and innovative endeavors to even higher levels.
What I hope that Google will take into consideration is the fact that if they come here they will have a great story to tell in the not too distant future. They can tell the story of how they created value in a community. They can tell how they played "buy low and sell high" at its finest. They will have entered a community with a lot of great ingredients that just needs a catalyst to get the energy flowing again. Google's Fiber is the rocket fuel we need. I truly believe that if this happens, we are going to take off to the stratosphere.
Other communities might have a lot to offer, but we have the ways to facilitate these connections expeditiously. We're ready! We have the Data Centers, we have the manufacturers, we have buildings that need new uses, and we have the rail corridor that is ready made for this effort. What a story this would be and in the end isn't that what it is all about?
Google, please come to Hickory and make History!!!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
3/9/2010 - Woogle Town Hall meeting tonight done. Onto Lenoir Thursday night
This was a nice rally, which featured Mayor Wright of Hickory and Mayor David Barlow of Lenoir. Mayor Wright spoke of all that has happened and is happening to facilitate this process. He addressed the media and the positive publicity we are receiving from them. He spoke about the technical team working on facilitation of applications and about Think Tanks involving Medical Focus Groups. He talked about home based businesses and about the meeting of the Future Economy Council. He addressed about the Google Webinar that took place last Friday to explain what they are looking for. He also wanted everyone to know that there will be another Town Hall event in Lenoir tomorrow March 9, 2010 and he hopes that many people who were here tonight can attend. I was given an address for a live feed happening of that meeting happening Thursday night.
Mayor Wright spoke about the Catawba and Caldwell Chambers putting together a group of business leaders to discuss what we can do to make this happen and why this is so important to us. He also talked about the broad based, tremendous support this project has received and he stated that this could define our future for years to come.
Mayor Barlow next addressed the group and addressed his past experience in landing Google a few years years ago. He stated that he is delighted that Hickory and Lenoir have joined forces. He talked about the cooperation that is taking place now that would not have taken place a few years ago and spoke about how fast this initiative is moving along. He stated that he believes this project will improve scientific educational usage and residential usage. He stated that he is amazed how business and governments are working hard together and even if this doesn't work out there will be other projects where we will work together.
Mayor Barlow stated that they (Google) know what we are capable of, because of the Google and Apple projects that have already happened. They know that we will do everything we can to accommodate them and do it in a timely manner. Lenoir received the Google center, because of the site and the infrastructure, but the human factor did help. We need to make sure that Google understands how much we want them to bring this Fiber-optic line here.
Mayor Wright recognized Dee Blackwell from the WPCOG, Tim Markley - Catawba County School Superintendent, Debra Ashley and David Horne of the Caldwell County Chamber of Commerce, and he also the Hickory City Council mebers who were present (Fox, Seaver, Patton, and Guess).
City Manager Mick Berry next addressed the group and mentioned why we stand a shot of landing this project. Only 19 other communities in the country have a Google facility, only 3 of those have a population base that Google specified they are looking for, and only one of those have 3 state of the art fiber manufacturers in their area and that is us.
We have people in the audience tonight that know more about bending light and using fiber than in most parts of the world. We have a heck of a story to tell that differentiates us from everyone else. Mick then announced Kim Hudson and she delivered her message that has been spelled out in the past threads involving this issue and linked below. She did request that educators help get the message out and become personal crusaders. Kim next introduced Ben Willis who is an instructor at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute.
This is Ben's Video. It is awesome and hilarious. The dude's got talent.
The Hound's message - The Mayor has stated that we are all in it on this initiative and I personally have seen a lot of people who are devoting there lives (16+ hours a day) to this cause. This initiative is just what this community needs. I believe that 99% of us are totally in favor of making this thing happen. I doubt any community is working as hard as the interested parties in this community and I have never seen the camaraderie, amongst different entities, that this effort has caused to happen.
I saw two friends of mine who are playing a vital role in this process. Alan Jackson and Chris Frye of the Jackson Group were at this meeting. They are video and marketing consultants working on the Woogle effort. You can see the passion and enthusiasm that they are bringing to the table on this effort. Alan has recently been named the Chairman of the Small Business Job Growth Council that the city has formed to attract, retain, and facilitate the implementation of small business and commerce in the area.
I don't think Alan would mind me divulging a part of our conversation about the excitement that this process has brought forth. The excitement is in watching communities and groups come together. This is huge, because it is a rallying cry like we have never seen before. We can take this Google effort and implement it in other processes. Other companies are going to be doing what Google is attempting to do here and we need to utilize the data and information we attain in this effort towards possible future ventures. Alan and I are more excited about what is currently happening in our community than we have been in a long time.
Get excited folks!!! This community is positively transforming before your very eyes.
***Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright and Lenoir Mayor David Barlow will be on WJRI 1340-AM and on Kicks 103.3 Thursday morning to talk about the project.
BROAD BAND!!!
City of Hickory - Thinking Big with a Gig
I have a Dream - A 21st Century Hickory
Woogle - How You can Help Us Get Google Ultra High Speed Broadband
3,040 Facebook Fans of the Woogle Initiative - Team Woogle meets with FEC
Mayor Wright spoke about the Catawba and Caldwell Chambers putting together a group of business leaders to discuss what we can do to make this happen and why this is so important to us. He also talked about the broad based, tremendous support this project has received and he stated that this could define our future for years to come.
Mayor Barlow next addressed the group and addressed his past experience in landing Google a few years years ago. He stated that he is delighted that Hickory and Lenoir have joined forces. He talked about the cooperation that is taking place now that would not have taken place a few years ago and spoke about how fast this initiative is moving along. He stated that he believes this project will improve scientific educational usage and residential usage. He stated that he is amazed how business and governments are working hard together and even if this doesn't work out there will be other projects where we will work together.
Mayor Barlow stated that they (Google) know what we are capable of, because of the Google and Apple projects that have already happened. They know that we will do everything we can to accommodate them and do it in a timely manner. Lenoir received the Google center, because of the site and the infrastructure, but the human factor did help. We need to make sure that Google understands how much we want them to bring this Fiber-optic line here.
Mayor Wright recognized Dee Blackwell from the WPCOG, Tim Markley - Catawba County School Superintendent, Debra Ashley and David Horne of the Caldwell County Chamber of Commerce, and he also the Hickory City Council mebers who were present (Fox, Seaver, Patton, and Guess).
City Manager Mick Berry next addressed the group and mentioned why we stand a shot of landing this project. Only 19 other communities in the country have a Google facility, only 3 of those have a population base that Google specified they are looking for, and only one of those have 3 state of the art fiber manufacturers in their area and that is us.
We have people in the audience tonight that know more about bending light and using fiber than in most parts of the world. We have a heck of a story to tell that differentiates us from everyone else. Mick then announced Kim Hudson and she delivered her message that has been spelled out in the past threads involving this issue and linked below. She did request that educators help get the message out and become personal crusaders. Kim next introduced Ben Willis who is an instructor at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute.
This is Ben's Video. It is awesome and hilarious. The dude's got talent.
The Hound's message - The Mayor has stated that we are all in it on this initiative and I personally have seen a lot of people who are devoting there lives (16+ hours a day) to this cause. This initiative is just what this community needs. I believe that 99% of us are totally in favor of making this thing happen. I doubt any community is working as hard as the interested parties in this community and I have never seen the camaraderie, amongst different entities, that this effort has caused to happen.
I saw two friends of mine who are playing a vital role in this process. Alan Jackson and Chris Frye of the Jackson Group were at this meeting. They are video and marketing consultants working on the Woogle effort. You can see the passion and enthusiasm that they are bringing to the table on this effort. Alan has recently been named the Chairman of the Small Business Job Growth Council that the city has formed to attract, retain, and facilitate the implementation of small business and commerce in the area.
I don't think Alan would mind me divulging a part of our conversation about the excitement that this process has brought forth. The excitement is in watching communities and groups come together. This is huge, because it is a rallying cry like we have never seen before. We can take this Google effort and implement it in other processes. Other companies are going to be doing what Google is attempting to do here and we need to utilize the data and information we attain in this effort towards possible future ventures. Alan and I are more excited about what is currently happening in our community than we have been in a long time.
Get excited folks!!! This community is positively transforming before your very eyes.
***Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright and Lenoir Mayor David Barlow will be on WJRI 1340-AM and on Kicks 103.3 Thursday morning to talk about the project.
BROAD BAND!!!
City of Hickory - Thinking Big with a Gig
I have a Dream - A 21st Century Hickory
Woogle - How You can Help Us Get Google Ultra High Speed Broadband
3,040 Facebook Fans of the Woogle Initiative - Team Woogle meets with FEC
3,040 Facebook Fans of the Woogle Initiative - Team Woogle meets with FEC
Today, March 8, 2010, I attended a meeting of the Future Economy Council that discussed the Google effort on a multi-faceted level.
A few new notes
I asked if they (Google) want to facilitate laying the wire, but they don't want to manage the wire? Paul Baird (Consultant) stated that they are building a utility and will operate the utility. How long until they turn it over to anyone else is anyone's guess. I asked if was open ended, are there no timetables or capacity? Kim Hudson (consultant) stated that they may choose one community or they may choose five. They are very non-committal about how quick this will turn around and what their long term plans are. They are interested in how they might be able to utilize Google Apps by implementing this network. I asked if there had been any one-on-one communications with Google? Kim stated no and Google has specified that they don't want any personal contact. There are around 2,000 communities applying for this implementation.
Shane Pitman asked about what Google's interaction will be with local internet providers. Houston stated that was the point, to end the chokehold, drive up competition and drive down the price. Shane asked about the management of the wire and Paul stated that Google has not stated that they would hand off the management, that is just the assumption. This is a digital utility, like a road. This will not be a public-private partnership. Google will choose where it will be built, they aren't looking for any incentives or help. They will choose it for their own purposes.
Installations to the home will be contracted. As far as the connection between Hickory and Lenoir, Google will lay their own cable or lease the space from someone else. Duke Net and Century Link are alternatives to leasing. Parameters are 50,000 to 500,000 population and they want a broad spectrum of socio-economic demographics. This could be Google's development effort for the next 100 years. The RFI (Request For Information will include Right of Way issues. This is another Experimental Lab for Google. This will highlight Caldwell and Catawba Counties, between the 321 corridor linking Hickory and Lenoir. It will be Google's choice how and where to lay the fiber along that area. Telephone poles are owned by Duke Energy and they lease space on the poles.
Thoughts
Google needs to know that this community is in the process of creating a new kind of social leadership structure that supports continuous innovation and understands the importance of a systemic community transformation initiative. This Broadband initiative would not be about satisfying individual needs. It would be a building block utilized to progress local society culturally, as well as technologically.
It might be silly for us to think about what Google wants out of all of this and some statements were made that it is irrelevant, but in the end we as humans are curious by nature and for us to come full circle and feel comfortable about this idea and its issues, we have to be able to wrap our minds around the process. We have to at least think we know what someone else is thinking, even if we truly don't have a clue.
Rick Smyre talked about the Semantic Web and the ability to have artificial intelligence that utilize voice synthesis. These are going to be concepts that come to fruition in the next 5 years. We don't need to look at the structures in place today. We need to look at the existing week signals in our area, because these signals will come to fruition in the next 5 years. We need to identify what is emerging. This is one of the reasons why the United States has fallen back.
Houston stated that if we get this, we don't have to worry about branding, because businesses will be banging on our door. Jay Adams stated that that is very important to brand this area as a place where innovation can occur. He then talked about the idea of utilizing the existing rail line for this broad band corridor that lies between Hickory and Lenoir. You have 5 communities and vacant buildings that can be utilized.
Here are some terms and ideas discussed and generated by the group, its mentors, and associates:
1) Augmented Realities
2) Smart Houses (Home Automation) and the Smart Grid
3) 21st Century healthcare involving monitoring, diagnoses, and treatment via nanotechnology
4) Support for home-based businesses
5) High-Def and 3-D Entertainment
6) Enables Home-Based Individualized Education in a Virtual Classroom
7) Enhanced Mobile Technologies by integrating them with the Cloud and the Smart Grid.
8) Enables 21st Century Mobile Governance and Direct Consensus Democracy
Steve Ivester asked if he were doing product development for companies in Beijing or Sweden, and sending digital drawings, does this provide part of the solution or all of the solution? Houston Harris stated that potentially the choke-hold would be on the other end and that's a good thing. Mick Berry stated it's not about the bottleneck. It's not about technical analysis. It is about thinking big. What do you think you can do if you have this kind of Broadband Capacity and you need to articulate that.
I mentioned about the fact that we don't have an affordable (State supported) medical University on this side of the state. We could utilize this capacity to send 3-D images back and forth to Chapel Hill or East Carolina. It could be used for virtual classrooms. Steve Ivester interjected about remotely directed 3-D surgery. Amy Powell talked about a Doctor in California who has 6 other doctors who travel and he instructs them remotely.
We next talked about information systems, smart traffic systems, security issues, 3-D, and virtual reality.
Harry Hipps asked how Google is going to assess this once this is in place, if we are picked? Is Google's interest technical? He further stated, "I am sure that they would like to see good economic development, but I can't see this as there basic motivation."
Houston Harris stated that it is about ideas. They are a creative center and he believes they feel they have tapped out their own ideas and now they want fresh ideas to come in from the public and Google can worry about managing the company. It was stated that this is "Crowdsourcing."
I asked how many of these Gig networks are in the United States and Worldwide? Houston stated there may be a few metro-nets and Terry Bledsoe stated that there may be a few in Europe. That led me to ask if this would make us an incubator? Which led everyone to answer a resounding yes. If we are an incubator, then this starts out a process of spreading the web. Shane Pitman stated that we shouldn't be so naive that they aren't monitoring the data. They are looking not to improve the infrastructure. They are looking to improve their own products and services. Kim Hudson stated that 99% of their revenue is from advertising.
Terry reeled us back in by stating that we aren't here to figure out Google. We need innovative ideas to submit to attract Google here. Leave the marketing to the consultants.
Shane Pitman talked about Bloom Grocery and their use of RFID chips on the groceries and customer based scanning - Supermarket Tech & Ease. Jay Adams talked about the possibilities of a Grocery Store along the Rail Corridor that doesn't have a parking lot, because a home based scanner can be used to scan the groceries you run out of during the week. The information is stored in a database and the products can be picked and delivered to you at a depot on the rail line near where you live and where it will be available for you to pick up. People will be willing to rely on barcodes for inventory of household products.
Jay talked about the rail corridor and how it is densely populated and it connects Hickory and Lenoir, and it does have Google on it. MDI is about distribution and Logistics, so we can at least discuss the feasibility of the idea. Steve Ivester concurred that is a reason we can move the peg forward.
Houston talked about how a restaurant, such as Backstreets, can utilize a service such as this to keep inventory and I added that this could also be coordinated with your cash register. This would automatically coordinate the order between the restaurant and a purveyor, such as IFH. John Bates stated that Walmart has been doing that for 15 years - EDI. The question is can this be taken down to a micro scale? The consensus was that we could.
Kim stated that she would like to show the augmented use of Google applications from people in this area. She wants people to become fans of Facebook. They want people to please plop ideas onto the site and they utilize these for the official "Request For Information" that will be submitted in a couple of weeks. We are encouraged to think about ways to advertise on Google.
Steve Ivester stated that he believes that we have existing manufacturers that can help us succeed in innovation of 21st Century healthcare involving monitoring, diagnoses, and treatment via nanotechnology. He cited Moose Industries and various world-class doctors we have in the area.
I took the conversation in a bit of a different direction by talking about Real-Time Manufacturing and the capability to coordinate it with the Manufacturing Solutions Center at CVCC. Why can't we have people throughout the United States sending those Micro ideas in here and letting Dan St. Louis and the people down there help develop those products.
Steve Ivester stated that he doesn't have any trouble listing a dozen industries of the future where we already have weak signals in place. We are an area of innovation, but we have been knocked down by textiles and furniture. The seeds are there for more innovation.
Jay Adams suggested we do a scavenger hunt to search for areas of innovation and come back to discuss true areas of innovation and we can grow it from there. Houston talked about the branding piece. The start-up, incubator, growth area is where we need to focus, because our biggest companies have left the area. We can rebuild the area with smaller companies that will grow.
BROAD BAND!!!
City of Hickory - Thinking Big with a Gig
I have a Dream - A 21st Century Hickory
Woogle - How You can Help Us Get Google Ultra High Speed Broadband
A few new notes
I asked if they (Google) want to facilitate laying the wire, but they don't want to manage the wire? Paul Baird (Consultant) stated that they are building a utility and will operate the utility. How long until they turn it over to anyone else is anyone's guess. I asked if was open ended, are there no timetables or capacity? Kim Hudson (consultant) stated that they may choose one community or they may choose five. They are very non-committal about how quick this will turn around and what their long term plans are. They are interested in how they might be able to utilize Google Apps by implementing this network. I asked if there had been any one-on-one communications with Google? Kim stated no and Google has specified that they don't want any personal contact. There are around 2,000 communities applying for this implementation.
Shane Pitman asked about what Google's interaction will be with local internet providers. Houston stated that was the point, to end the chokehold, drive up competition and drive down the price. Shane asked about the management of the wire and Paul stated that Google has not stated that they would hand off the management, that is just the assumption. This is a digital utility, like a road. This will not be a public-private partnership. Google will choose where it will be built, they aren't looking for any incentives or help. They will choose it for their own purposes.
Installations to the home will be contracted. As far as the connection between Hickory and Lenoir, Google will lay their own cable or lease the space from someone else. Duke Net and Century Link are alternatives to leasing. Parameters are 50,000 to 500,000 population and they want a broad spectrum of socio-economic demographics. This could be Google's development effort for the next 100 years. The RFI (Request For Information will include Right of Way issues. This is another Experimental Lab for Google. This will highlight Caldwell and Catawba Counties, between the 321 corridor linking Hickory and Lenoir. It will be Google's choice how and where to lay the fiber along that area. Telephone poles are owned by Duke Energy and they lease space on the poles.
Thoughts
Google needs to know that this community is in the process of creating a new kind of social leadership structure that supports continuous innovation and understands the importance of a systemic community transformation initiative. This Broadband initiative would not be about satisfying individual needs. It would be a building block utilized to progress local society culturally, as well as technologically.
It might be silly for us to think about what Google wants out of all of this and some statements were made that it is irrelevant, but in the end we as humans are curious by nature and for us to come full circle and feel comfortable about this idea and its issues, we have to be able to wrap our minds around the process. We have to at least think we know what someone else is thinking, even if we truly don't have a clue.
Rick Smyre talked about the Semantic Web and the ability to have artificial intelligence that utilize voice synthesis. These are going to be concepts that come to fruition in the next 5 years. We don't need to look at the structures in place today. We need to look at the existing week signals in our area, because these signals will come to fruition in the next 5 years. We need to identify what is emerging. This is one of the reasons why the United States has fallen back.
Houston stated that if we get this, we don't have to worry about branding, because businesses will be banging on our door. Jay Adams stated that that is very important to brand this area as a place where innovation can occur. He then talked about the idea of utilizing the existing rail line for this broad band corridor that lies between Hickory and Lenoir. You have 5 communities and vacant buildings that can be utilized.
Here are some terms and ideas discussed and generated by the group, its mentors, and associates:
1) Augmented Realities
2) Smart Houses (Home Automation) and the Smart Grid
3) 21st Century healthcare involving monitoring, diagnoses, and treatment via nanotechnology
4) Support for home-based businesses
5) High-Def and 3-D Entertainment
6) Enables Home-Based Individualized Education in a Virtual Classroom
7) Enhanced Mobile Technologies by integrating them with the Cloud and the Smart Grid.
8) Enables 21st Century Mobile Governance and Direct Consensus Democracy
Steve Ivester asked if he were doing product development for companies in Beijing or Sweden, and sending digital drawings, does this provide part of the solution or all of the solution? Houston Harris stated that potentially the choke-hold would be on the other end and that's a good thing. Mick Berry stated it's not about the bottleneck. It's not about technical analysis. It is about thinking big. What do you think you can do if you have this kind of Broadband Capacity and you need to articulate that.
I mentioned about the fact that we don't have an affordable (State supported) medical University on this side of the state. We could utilize this capacity to send 3-D images back and forth to Chapel Hill or East Carolina. It could be used for virtual classrooms. Steve Ivester interjected about remotely directed 3-D surgery. Amy Powell talked about a Doctor in California who has 6 other doctors who travel and he instructs them remotely.
We next talked about information systems, smart traffic systems, security issues, 3-D, and virtual reality.
Harry Hipps asked how Google is going to assess this once this is in place, if we are picked? Is Google's interest technical? He further stated, "I am sure that they would like to see good economic development, but I can't see this as there basic motivation."
Houston Harris stated that it is about ideas. They are a creative center and he believes they feel they have tapped out their own ideas and now they want fresh ideas to come in from the public and Google can worry about managing the company. It was stated that this is "Crowdsourcing."
I asked how many of these Gig networks are in the United States and Worldwide? Houston stated there may be a few metro-nets and Terry Bledsoe stated that there may be a few in Europe. That led me to ask if this would make us an incubator? Which led everyone to answer a resounding yes. If we are an incubator, then this starts out a process of spreading the web. Shane Pitman stated that we shouldn't be so naive that they aren't monitoring the data. They are looking not to improve the infrastructure. They are looking to improve their own products and services. Kim Hudson stated that 99% of their revenue is from advertising.
Terry reeled us back in by stating that we aren't here to figure out Google. We need innovative ideas to submit to attract Google here. Leave the marketing to the consultants.
Shane Pitman talked about Bloom Grocery and their use of RFID chips on the groceries and customer based scanning - Supermarket Tech & Ease. Jay Adams talked about the possibilities of a Grocery Store along the Rail Corridor that doesn't have a parking lot, because a home based scanner can be used to scan the groceries you run out of during the week. The information is stored in a database and the products can be picked and delivered to you at a depot on the rail line near where you live and where it will be available for you to pick up. People will be willing to rely on barcodes for inventory of household products.
Jay talked about the rail corridor and how it is densely populated and it connects Hickory and Lenoir, and it does have Google on it. MDI is about distribution and Logistics, so we can at least discuss the feasibility of the idea. Steve Ivester concurred that is a reason we can move the peg forward.
Houston talked about how a restaurant, such as Backstreets, can utilize a service such as this to keep inventory and I added that this could also be coordinated with your cash register. This would automatically coordinate the order between the restaurant and a purveyor, such as IFH. John Bates stated that Walmart has been doing that for 15 years - EDI. The question is can this be taken down to a micro scale? The consensus was that we could.
Kim stated that she would like to show the augmented use of Google applications from people in this area. She wants people to become fans of Facebook. They want people to please plop ideas onto the site and they utilize these for the official "Request For Information" that will be submitted in a couple of weeks. We are encouraged to think about ways to advertise on Google.
Steve Ivester stated that he believes that we have existing manufacturers that can help us succeed in innovation of 21st Century healthcare involving monitoring, diagnoses, and treatment via nanotechnology. He cited Moose Industries and various world-class doctors we have in the area.
I took the conversation in a bit of a different direction by talking about Real-Time Manufacturing and the capability to coordinate it with the Manufacturing Solutions Center at CVCC. Why can't we have people throughout the United States sending those Micro ideas in here and letting Dan St. Louis and the people down there help develop those products.
Steve Ivester stated that he doesn't have any trouble listing a dozen industries of the future where we already have weak signals in place. We are an area of innovation, but we have been knocked down by textiles and furniture. The seeds are there for more innovation.
Jay Adams suggested we do a scavenger hunt to search for areas of innovation and come back to discuss true areas of innovation and we can grow it from there. Houston talked about the branding piece. The start-up, incubator, growth area is where we need to focus, because our biggest companies have left the area. We can rebuild the area with smaller companies that will grow.
BROAD BAND!!!
City of Hickory - Thinking Big with a Gig
I have a Dream - A 21st Century Hickory
Woogle - How You can Help Us Get Google Ultra High Speed Broadband
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Iceland rejects the Banksters. Our turn is coming!!!
Yesterday, Icelanders rejected a plan to pay back the British and Dutch governments for money it lost over the collapse of the Icesave bank in 2008 - (Hazel Tyldesley, Sky News Online). The amount of money that this proposed deal would have cost average Icelander would be around $135US per month for eight years. The Icelanders said they could not afford such an excise tax and my question to my fellow Americans is: Could you afford such an exorbitant tax?
Our government is going to eventually try to pawn this scheme off on us. This is all a continuation of the scam of derivatives trading and still governments have done nothing to reign in the terror that the banks have wrought on the world economy. It looks as though the next card to fall will be Greece and Goldman sachs has their fingerprints all over it (Goldman Sachs details 2001 Greek derivative trades).
It is time to reign in the terror brought on by the convoluted schemes of the New York and London Banking cabal. It is time to unwind this fools' deception. Where has the TARP and bailout money gone? Look at all of the bonuses. Look at the enormous profits these banks have created with money that the general public is on the hook for.
Why have the financiers not taken the losses? Were they not the group trading in the derivatives? Is this not their system? It is time to figure out the end game and we must demand to know where these people are taking us. I would just like to ask: Do you trust the people with their hands in the money pot, who have been placed in charge of our economy? While our economy continues to implode, why do these people seem to be getting filthy rich?
Our government is going to eventually try to pawn this scheme off on us. This is all a continuation of the scam of derivatives trading and still governments have done nothing to reign in the terror that the banks have wrought on the world economy. It looks as though the next card to fall will be Greece and Goldman sachs has their fingerprints all over it (Goldman Sachs details 2001 Greek derivative trades).
It is time to reign in the terror brought on by the convoluted schemes of the New York and London Banking cabal. It is time to unwind this fools' deception. Where has the TARP and bailout money gone? Look at all of the bonuses. Look at the enormous profits these banks have created with money that the general public is on the hook for.
Why have the financiers not taken the losses? Were they not the group trading in the derivatives? Is this not their system? It is time to figure out the end game and we must demand to know where these people are taking us. I would just like to ask: Do you trust the people with their hands in the money pot, who have been placed in charge of our economy? While our economy continues to implode, why do these people seem to be getting filthy rich?
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