tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334605488050608192009-11-09T02:49:15.388-08:00Stuff that's coolCraig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-6784856506568823812009-09-29T05:40:00.000-07:002009-09-29T06:13:56.490-07:00

I use Twitter. As do an estimated 4 to 5 million other folks. Is this a revolutionary social media application? Nearly all large commercial portals such as MSN and Yahoo plus Facebook have added Twitter-like functionality to their platforms. Or is this a one-hit wonder with a limited shelf life? Sixty percent of people who sign up for Twitter end up ditching their Twitter account within a

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-13478098292239574052009-09-17T05:58:00.000-07:002009-09-17T07:57:34.224-07:00

National Geographic recently had a fantastic feature on the state of solar-generated energy and how the world is progressing--or not progressing--on harnessing power from the sun. The article pointed out how Germany is leading the world in adopting solar power and making it a viable energy source in that country. As I was reading the story, I asked a visiting German student--a friend of our

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-30238828140963540742009-07-22T11:10:00.000-07:002009-08-10T14:33:18.378-07:00

If you were in need of hospital-based diabetes care and needed to choose a hospital in your area, how would you choose? Especially if there are a dozen choices close to your home?The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services has a Web-based service called Hospital Compare. It is a database of questionnaire responses based on Medicare patient experiences, comprising scorecards on medical centers

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-49208368204919141692008-07-02T10:47:00.000-07:002009-07-16T19:30:49.056-07:00

More and more, I find myself getting depressed when I'm sitting in my car at stoplights. Not because it takes the light forever to turn green. It's because I'm constantly amazed at the number of vehicles that arrive at the intersection going nearly 50 m.p.h. and only start thinking about slowing down when they're 20 feet from the stoplight.And jackrabbit starts. Drivers who have to accelerate

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-31682310457699409512008-11-11T12:34:00.000-08:002009-07-16T19:30:02.219-07:00

For the past several years I have been skeptical about the horrendous amounts of money--a good chunk of it taxpayer dollars--spent on sports stadiums. Our country's obsession with spectator sports not only costs billions upon billions in funding for facilities, but also untold dollars in health care costs used to treat diabetes and related conditions among the number of people who can't get off

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-79488346379971411792008-06-29T11:33:00.000-07:002009-07-16T19:29:14.042-07:00

(Written in April 2008) Basketball fans and many non-fans now have heard of Davidson College. Not only because of its dramatic success in the NCAA basketball tournament or their all-galaxy star, Stephen Curry.Many people are talking just as fervently about Davidson's board of trustees and the amazing deed they performed for their entire student body.The trustees offered to host any and all

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-31742115482252784032008-06-29T11:20:00.000-07:002009-07-16T19:28:19.319-07:00

The tip: Whenever a big-time literary figure is in the neighborhood and speaking for free, you must go see him. It is a communication pro’s duty! It’s great EHE (enjoyable horizon expansion) that’s difficult to get on a two-dimensional flat screen.I spent a brisk, sunny Saturday morning recently in the tiny town of Adel, Iowa.I attended a free lecture held in a local church off the town square to

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-31268078900690952902008-07-07T11:08:00.000-07:002009-07-16T19:26:20.315-07:00

One of my favorite global analysts, Fareed Zakaria, recently interviewed a Univ. of Maryland researcher on his pioneering efforts in alternative energy for conventional vehicles. His interview is viewable here.Oh, I forgot to mention, that fuel-producing bacterium does its thing by eating CO2. How fast can we get it on the market??!! Whether it's this or hydrogen engine commercialization or

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-86860549102893242912009-07-16T05:30:00.000-07:002009-07-16T06:08:30.088-07:00

What if you were a talented, enterprising goat farmer in sub-Saharan Africa who could produce enough meat and milk to feed only your family. And what if, with a little capital infusion, you could acquire several more goats for breeding stock and be able to expand your herd in order to sell extra meat and milk in a nearby city market. And with that extra revenue, you might be able to pay for one

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-79185336463652824992009-06-04T05:18:00.000-07:002009-06-04T05:35:23.602-07:00

This is a graduate seminar in what the creative mind coupled with obvious editing and packaging skill plus musical arranging and performance ability can achieve. All by one dude with a camera.He's no Josh Groban, no Steven Spielberg. But the end result is captivating nonetheless.

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-38649271437565057512009-05-29T12:18:00.000-07:002009-05-29T12:44:19.440-07:00

If they weren't moving car chassis and engines through this palatial facility, you'd probably think you're inside the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles or the European Guggenheim in Spain. Truly astounding story here. My dad sent this to me.Since I work with a client that builds robotics, I'm especially taken with the robotic material handling equipment. Not welding robots, which we've all

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-21379964333919046832009-01-11T08:57:00.000-08:002009-03-11T15:39:40.215-07:00

A 60 Minutes profile of USC coach Pete Carroll. A study in optimisim, overcoming failure and living life for a deeper reason. You'd swear you're back in the 60's or 70's, when hope, selflessness and leadership by example seemed to be in greater supply.Watch CBS Videos Online

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-15026223531532973482009-03-11T15:35:00.000-07:002009-03-11T15:38:58.997-07:00

Take a look at this video. It's a pretty cool summary of why we're in the mess we're in.The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-34302975962377642512009-03-01T17:31:00.000-08:002009-03-01T20:02:00.716-08:00

You can't overstate the marvel of YouTube and other video sharing sites. Forget the schlock that constitutes 50 percent of the material on YouTube. The other half contains gems like the one below.Rare footage of one of the greatest American composers is one example of YouTube's tremendous value. This footage would have been next to impossible to view unless one paid a visit to a museum. This is

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-51423178426412260552008-12-10T06:16:00.000-08:002008-12-10T06:33:02.444-08:00

How cool would this be: A network of electric battery charging stations placed throughout a country. To power cars. Cars that you rent or purhcase at 6 cents a mile (compared to the average cost of 12 cents a mile to operate a conventional gasoline-powered car). No more worrying about whether your charge will last all day. You can always find a charging station. It'd be cool if a state or country

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-44754026304112982742008-07-03T09:06:00.000-07:002008-11-11T14:12:11.633-08:00

If OPEC would slash prices, new wells come online, Iraq and Nigeria production gets back to full capacity, and gasoline in the the U.S. hits $2 a gallon, would the alternative energy movement dry up and blow away?I sometimes wonder about that. Just as E-85 and biodiesel are starting to reach the next level, as GM and other car makers aim to dramatically increase their flexfuel vehicle roster, as

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-33105068868677475212008-08-21T19:05:00.000-07:002008-11-11T13:55:26.928-08:00

With a name like Modernista, an advertising agency has to make sure it's cutting edge. This is the agency that did the Hummer ads (back when gas was $1.80 a gallon), with the kid who builds a Hummer-looking go-cart and goes off road to beat his friends in a race. All to the tune of The Who's "Happy Jack." It also does those Cadillac spots with the sultry babe asking if your car turns you on.Years

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33460548805060819.post-59401105443797783472008-09-28T20:29:00.000-07:002008-11-11T13:26:58.128-08:00

I'm sitting in the high school football stadium on a Saturday evening, waiting for my kids' marching band to take the field.A kind older gentleman is sitting in front of us by himself, and we start up a typical conversation: "Where are you from, what instrument does your kid play," etc.He then tells us he used to work at the Maytag plant in Newton, IA. Maytag was sold to Whirlpool several years

Craig Maltbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07808138436638822707craig@planningandwriting.com0