A Faster, Smarter, Greener Apple

I am a huge fan of Apple and while I write this post on a PC (still saving for my dream computer) I follow Apple closely. While Steve Jobs can improve in some areas, his company does make some impressive products.

A popular seed on Newsvine today was about the release of upgraded MacBooks or the rumors of... Yes they are true. MacBooks now contain 1 Gigabyte of RAM and a 2+GHz processors (depending on model). While it is a modest increase, the machine will run smoother.

To follow-up however, I went to apple.com, and while front and center was the clear confirmation of the seed. The small green apple in the bottom left corner was what really caught my eye...

Steve Jobs decided to publicly identify the efforts that Apple has taken to improve the construction of their products through the removal of harmful "ingredients" and continued efforts to further reduce the harmful chemicals in the future. They have also had a recycling program in effect since 1994, and while there is no established industry standard to date, the numbers show that the participation is improving each year.

I'll take the numbers with a grain of salt as they are being reported by the company itself. Greenpeace has received the news well and improved their rating of the company based on the transparency that is now being offered.

The world has slowly been moving away from paper, improving the impact on the environment as more people gather information on a screen as opposed to hard copies. The whole time there has been a cost due to the construction and operation of these machines with the harmful chemicals and outgassing that occurs.

By making these machines more compliant with environmental standards and improving their footprint, we can further encourage the reduction of paper and usage of an electronic screen as an information/communication mechanism.

Glad to hear that Apple is touting this as it further validates the green revolution that is occuring in the business world and the consumer world as a whole. It makes me yearn for a MacBook even more.

The Streak's Obituary

It had to end at some point, but I never expected the day to be so soon.

After 407 consecutive days of running, today I could not extend the streak.

While playing Softball last night (My team is still undefeated, 2-0-1) I sprained my ankle running to third. I overran the bag and while my foot tried to stay on, the rest of my body did not...

When I first started the streak, I said I would stop when my legs wouldn't let me continue. And although the need for crutches is a dead giveaway, it is still hard to let go. Over the past year+ I have learned a lot about life, myself, and others.

As I said when I hit the year mark, a lot has happened in a short period of time. And while I would like to be really inspirational and evocative, the whirlwind of thoughts in my head is playing with my ability to write.

In a week's time I will be running again, as to whether or not I start anew or find a new goal, that remains to be determined...

The End: May 11, 2007

Massachusetts joins the 22nd Century...

An article in the Boston Herald, this morning, highlighted Massachusetts' commitment to the future, joining a 31 state initiative to monitor greenhouse gas emissions with the help of a nonprofit organization, The Climate Registry.

Combined with Governor Patrick's signature on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in late January, this effort to monitor and reduce carbon dioxide emissions will improve the life of the natives and promote further investigation and involvement in the surrounding region.

Now, if the Cape Wind Project would take off...

Car Issues... It's Been Too Long

It's been a long couple of weeks. The weather bounced around like a yo-yo and on the way down I had an unpleasant "string snap" and got into a bit of a fender bender on a Wednesday's evening commute. It wasn't serious, but my driver's side headlight was wrecked.

No one was hurt and my insurance rate is staying status quo. But my car has seen better days. The next day I took it in for a estimate. I left the garage astounded at how much the repair costs to be... $2,200!

Being the ever industrious New Englander that I am, I decided that I could fix the damage myself, as long as I could get the parts I needed. Luckily I discovered a great website, one my mother entitled an "online junkyard", Carpartswholesale.com.

While the headlight relay took a week to arrive, it was worth the price and wait (They did not offer express shipping on the item). Thankfully, I had generous family and friends who let me borrow their cars in the meantime.

The car is not yet 100% but I am able to take it on my daily commute until I can buff out the fender and put a new hood on.

Grand Total for Repairs including car rental, gas, et cetera: $450.

Marvel versus DC

I've become addicted to newsvine lately and joined the Web 2.0 group, and while that is generally topic for my other blog, I came across a seed that was a Mac/PC commercial parody that touched upon my other love, comic books.

Check out the funny YouTube videos featuring Superman and Spiderman...

Hi, I'm a Marvel... and I'm a DC.