Back in the 90’s, one of my favorite commercials used the tagline, “At BASF, we don’t make a lot of the products you buy; we make a lot of the products you buy better.” Well my friends, when thinking about our government’s response to the continued pouring of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, I can only think that our government didn’t make the crisis in the Gulf; they made the crisis in the Gulf more catastrophic.

First, let’s ask the most simple question. How much oil is leaking into the Gulf of Mexico?

We don’t know. Right after the explosion, we were told that 42,000 gallons per day were leaking into the Gulf. Shortly after that, the number was corrected to 210,000 gallons daily. On Thursday, May 27th, that number was increased to more than 500,000 gallons a day (with some estimates at more than 1 million gallons daily).

Now, here’s the kicker. The spill at this time, with whatever semantics we want to call it, is under the control of BP. Right now, it is what it is. It’s BP’s mess and they’re the ones that have been told to fix it. Now, when you have the same person in charge of reporting about and cleaning up the problem they created, I would think that a reasonable person would expect the problem to be under-reported.

Why wouldn’t it be? I mean, let’s think look at the Tennessee coal ash disaster of 2008. Remember it? It was described as the biggest natural disaster in US history and was originally estimated at 1.7 million cubic yards. It was actually 3 times that — 5.4 million.

But, any idiot with a problem knows that sometimes, you may not be the most qualified person to clean your own mess. If you cause a small fire in the kitchen, you might be able to handle it with the fire extinguisher. Hopefully, you’re smart enough to realize when it’s time to call the Fire Department. If you’re not, chances are any one of your neighbors will do it for you.

Of course, we don’t have an Oil Department. Oh wait, we kind of do. You know the one that approved the permits (while watching porn and accepting gifts and jobs from the oil companies). We also have a coast guard, a military, an Environmental Protection Agency, and countless other governmental entities paid by our tax dollars. Are we saying that our government, the United States Government that put humans on the moon, doesn’t have any capabilities of stopping this leak? Is the only entity with the technology and resources to stop this issue British Petroleum?

If this is true, then we’re fucked. Stick a fork in me. Throw in the towel, and get Aretha Franklin a microphone (if it’s time for a fat lady to sing, it might as well be good).

Is there a reason that while we were sitting, watching BP try this “top kill” that we didn’t tell them to star to drilling relief wells just in case? Is there a reason our government cannot start drilling one or two wells themselves? I mean even Bruce Willis knows that you don’t just send one team to drill (and he was right, because Ben Affleck saved his ass… well not his ass, but the world’s ass. Yes. Armageddon. And, yes. I liked that movie.)

BP is effectively in charge of the entire Gulf cleanup and I see us doing nothing. We have a live feed from their cameras. Their cameras. Their feed. I’m thinking step one should have been sending our own crew down there and installing our own monitoring, but that’s just me.

Of course, BP would never limit access to the media or the government, right?

Oh wait… there was that CBS team that was threatened with arrest if they didn’t leave a beach. And that photographer who wasn’t allowed to fly above the Gulf at lower than 3,000 feet. And that 500 foot zone around any BP vessel, and…

Obama promised to “…establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.” It hasn’t happened yet, and he’s not doing shit about it. Not doing jack shit.

Of course, I’m not looking at Obama to waive a magic wand and make this better. Although I am not looking to him to make this worse, either.

So what do I want him to do?

At this point, anything. Just DO something. Don’t talk about what you’re going to do. Don’t tell me what you’re planning. Just shut up and do something. Whatever credibility the government had, is eroding at the rate of a Grecian dollar. I value talk from government in bullshit. More talk, is more bullshit. Unless this bullshit can be used to plug the leak, I respectfully ask that the bullshit stop. Dig some wells. Get a sub down there and monitor it. Do something and then tell us what you’re actually doing.

The government didn’t make this crisis. But they surely helped make it more catastrophic.

More reading:

• ‘Top Kill’ Fails to Stop Flow of Oil From Gulf Leak (The Wall Street Journal)
• Oil Spill May Be Still Bigger (The Wall Street Journal)
• Gulf oil leak rate much higher than reported, professor says (Los Angeles Times)
• Flow Rate Group Provides Preliminary Best Estimate Of Oil Flowing from BP Oil Well (US Dept. Of Interior)
• Limits on access to oiled waters, coast frustrates journalists (nola.com)
• Oil spill taking toll on BP’s credibility — and the government’s (Miami Herald)

Spirit Airlines drank some Kool Aid and decided to charge passengers for carry-on bags that do not fit under the seat. The fee will only apply to bags placed in the overhead bin. “Bring less; pay less. It’s simple,” Spirit’s Chief Operating Officer Ken McKenzie said in a statement. (Which by the way beats their first attempt at the slogan: Bring less, pay less, fuck you.)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, although this time I’ll say it differently. When I was a kid, I absolutely loved everything about flying. After taking someone to the airport, my family would walk to the window and we’d watch (from the gate) as our loved one’s plane taxied out to the runway and would stay until we saw that plane leave the ground and take off into the sky. When I’d actually get to fly, I looked forward to it. I’d pick out a good magazine, try to get a pillow, and look forward to some pretzels and a nice drink.

What a difference a few (a few, plus) years will do to one’s outlook. Today, I absolutely HATE flying. There’s is simply not a single thing about the experience I enjoy. From sitting in seats where I simply cannot sit comfortably, to dealing with flight attendant attitude; the plane ride is less enjoyable than a ride on the city bus. And, just before anyone comments… it’s not my width that makes the seat uncomfortable. I’m only 6 foot, and I simply cannot fit in the seats. My knees constantly get hit by the seat infront of me, and should that person recline– well, my seat transports my ass to the 4th level of hell. And that’s just the plane! Between the TSA and whatever Airport Authority controls the local airport, the pre-flight experience is even worse.

Anyway… these new fees from Spirit Airlines sound like the perfect plan to make me continue to drive or ride whenever possible. I wonder how long it will take for the other airlines to follow Spirit’s example.

Spirit Airlines New Fees

]]> http://www.fredposner.com/miscellaneous/758/yet-another-reason-to-hate-airlines/feed/ 4 http://www.fredposner.com/miscellaneous/738/google-search-scares-me/ http://www.fredposner.com/miscellaneous/738/google-search-scares-me/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:06:25 +0000 Fred Posner http://www.fredposner.com/?p=738

I’m sure you’ve googled. Who hasn’t. Well, based of course on the popularity of what others across our great world are searching, Google often “suggests” what you might want to search for; based on what you’ve typed in that google search box. Well… what others are searching for doesn’t just scare me, it scares the bejesus out of me. But now I understand exactly where we may be heading.

Today I made the mistake of typing why does in the google search… and well, I was presented with:

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Don’t get me wrong. I love poop questions as much as the next guy… but really? So then I started to see what others were looking for and well, here’s a few examples:  

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Also check out: http://mashable.com/2009/08/11/funniest-google-suggest-results/

]]> http://www.fredposner.com/miscellaneous/738/google-search-scares-me/feed/ 1 http://www.fredposner.com/miscellaneous/736/ok-starting-to-freak-out-a-little/ http://www.fredposner.com/miscellaneous/736/ok-starting-to-freak-out-a-little/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:10:48 +0000 Fred Posner http://www.fredposner.com/?p=736

The movers were supposed to call and let us know what time they’d be here… hasn’t happened. We called the moving company yesterday and they were certain we’d get the call last night. Never happened. So far, no truck.

Not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling here…

I thought this was a very neat idea and well done.

Cleaned up the styles a little bit… check out:

• YeniFred.com
• Team Forrest’s Blog
• Fat Freddy Says
• VoIP Tech Chat

Yes, they’re very similar (other than YeniFred). But I’m in a “clean” mode right now.

Mint.com’s blog had a pretty interesting graphic posted on Charitable givings…

Did you know that the FTC believes they should police bloggers?

It’s true… and well, long story short… here’s my FTC disclosure.

Fred Posner @ Astricon 2009

It’s October and that means I’m going to Phoenix!

Astricon, the meet-up of Asterisk users / developers / fans / etc, starts October 13th, and this year I received the honor of presenting. My talk, Asterisk Applications: Unexpected Hurdles, showcases the Ann Arbor Parking “Smackdown” earlier this year.

As an added benefit… my Wife will be joining me

So, a new year, a new cartoon Fred… which one do you like better?

2008 Fred

2009 Fred

On my way to Orange County, California (via Phoenix). It’s been a while since I had to fly and I am really hopeful my airport experience will be more positive than usual.

Yeni and I have had this one Bob Marley song stuck in our heads recently, so I leave you with:

Don’t worry about a thing,
’cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Don’t worry about a thing,
cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Rise up this morning,
Smiled with the rising sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singing sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Saying this is my message to you.

Singing: don’t worry bout a thing,
’cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singing: don’t worry about a thing,
’cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Don’t worry… =)

I attended Ann Arbor’s Cloud Camp yesterday at Google (in… Ann Arbor). Was a great “un-conference” about cloud computing and such. Took a few pictures and enjoyed the afternoon.

Ann Arbor DDA, you massively fail. If you were a ship, you’d be the titanic…

Can you believe in today’s world that a government agency would conspire and discuss the control of public information? What if that information was a top secret as… parking space availability?

I’ve posted an article on VoIP Tech Chat detailing the Ann Arbor DDA doing just that. My response to them is at the end… Please enjoy.

Read the article on VoIP Tech Chat

Newest article (related to parking) is from The Michigan Daily.

Also, on Saturday, Ed and I will be guests on a local radio program.

Some of the local papers / sites picked up the Parking Space story… check it out:

• Ann Arbor Chronicle
• HD Teeter Talk
• Ann Arbor News
• Arbor Update

GoDaddy had some sort of “issue” that had this site down most of the day… Can you believe it? The nerve of them to mess with fredposner.com. Geesh.

Anyway, we’re back online and I’d love to share a new geeky blog post I wrote: Diff’rent VoIP for Diff’rent Folks. Oh, and I was interviewed by the Ann Arbor Chronicle about the parking lot application. The preliminary video is on YouTube… But I also have a version below

Update — apparently the site was down due to a denial of service attack.

(You should also take a look at Homeless Dave‘s site for more interviews)

Yeni and Fred in Dundee

Welcome to Fred’s weekly review for the first “real” week of 2009. What did Fred do this week? Will Fred stop talking in third person? This and many more questions await you in this fantastic update.

Ok — so for the purposes of “whatever” I’m starting a week I guess on Saturday – Friday (if you’re keeping track, the answer to the 3rd person question is ‘Yes’). This week, I:

• Visited Cabellas in Dundee, Michigan
• Made a Lasagna (it was gooood)
• Wrote some code for a Parking Lot Space Available project 
• Smiled when Team Forrest got mentioned on TMCnet’s Blog 
• Drove in the Snow
• Caught up with some old friends
• Tried to make new ones

And that’s pretty much the week that was.

Yesterday was a “travel day,” with all the reminders of why I do not like to fly. But, thanks to modern travel, I made it home safe and sound. The temperature last night? 1° F. Ouch.

Snow in the neighborhood is piled higher than the mailboxes.

No much to report on a very busy mid-week. We received a big snowfall last night, which found myself prepping Yeni’s car for work this morning. Can’t say I’m enjoying the though of repeating that action for the next several months. It was c-o-l-d, cold. Oh, and snowy. Last time I was near that much snow, Mom made me a cup of cocoa with little marshmallows — of course they were real marshmallows added to the cup… not the pre-mixed yucky ones.

Things of interest today:

• This mom from Gainesville has to get some sort of Mother of the Year award.
• Blogged to VoIP Tech Chat (was short and sweet)
• Helped move my cousin’s site to a new host
• Looking at switching to Verizon very, very soon.

And that’s the news that’s fit to print. Oh, I also changed the design of this site around a little.

Ah, woot you are a tease

Ah… woot, your bag of crap eludes me yet again.

Woot.com is an online store and community that focuses on selling cool stuff cheap. They sell one item per day until it is sold out or until 11:59pm central time when it is replaced. The site will occasionally deviate from the one-product-per-day model for a “Woot-Off”, where a succession of products are available for a period of unannounced length, usually 24–72 hours. This mode is indicated by rotating lights and a bar displaying the percentage of product’s stock remaining. During April Fool’s Day 2008, Woot staged a Woot-Off offering the same product repeatedly, except for a few brief periods when Woot sold Random Crap instead.

In lieu of typical product sales, Woot occasionally offers a $1.00 (+$5.00 shipping) fukubukuro-like blind grab bag officially called “Random Crap”. Its accompanying picture has lent it the name “Bag of Crap” (Bag of Crap). The Bag of Crap includes dollar store items and may also include significantly more expensive items such as large flat-screen televisions.[6] The Bag of Crap typically triggers the flooding and subsequent overload of Woot’s servers with thousands and thousands of order requests. The available Bag of Craps typically sell out within seconds. Processing a customer’s order for a Bag of Crap, assuming he or she is first lucky enough to get one before everyone else, may sometimes take over an hour.

I was not lucky. I did not get the Bag of Crap.

One day… it will be mine.