InfoGates

A Simple Fix for Social Security

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:18:00 +0000

Here's my simple fix for Social Security:
Raise the age of eligibility 1 year every 2 years until either the age becomes the average life expectancy (my preferred option) or the budget balances.
I'd like Social Security to return to what it was designed for: Providing financial security to those who live longer than expected and those who are disabled and unable to work.
It's really simple just do it.

Positive Tracfone Experience

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:15:00 +0000

I had to add some activation time to my Tracfone (a Kyocera 126C) so I logged in to Tracfone's website and added a 60 minute card with code 53322 (60 bonus minutes). On the next page I chose to add an additional 60 days of activation time for $10.
Once all was complete I ended up with 60 + 80 = 140 minutes. Great, 20 extra minutes. Thanks Tracfone!
The final page had me dial *228 to update. Now I know my Tracfone is on Verizon's network.
Option 1 is a full update
Option 2 is PRL (Preferred Roaming List)
I chose 2 and then restarted the phone when complete.

Fluorinated Water and the Elderly

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:17:00 +0000

Fluoride is may be good for your teeth but that is about it.
What does it do to your bones? It makes them hard.
Is that bad you say? Well, the bones of children aren't that hard. It fact they are much more flexible that adult bones. Which is good for them or they'd have many more fractures.
So on to my main point. Fluoride in the water is unsafe for the elderly. Is it just me or are more seniors suffering from broken hips and falls from fractures during daily activities? We hear all the time about getting enough calcium to prevent fractures. What if that isn't really the problem?
Call me crazy but I'd rather have the possibility of bad teeth than broken bones. Your toothpaste probably has fluoride so why put it in your water? You do brush right?
Don't drink it and save yourself a trip to the hospital.
I have chosen to use toothpaste that contains no fluoride. Oh, and don't get silver amalgam fillings if you do have cavities. If you have them already you would be well off getting them safely removed as they continuously release mercury into your body.

Insignia NS-DXA1 (aka Zenith DTT900) review

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:41:00 +0000

I finally got my digital tv converter box. I ended up getting the Insignia NS-DXA1 at Best Buy. It is just a rebranded Zenith DTT900. I used a 10% off coupon (search for Best Buy 10% coupon) and one of my $40 government coupons (more like a debit card actually) so I ended up paying less than $18.
After installation and initial setup I now receive 9 channels verses the 5 I received over analog. The extra channels are all subchannels (2 PBS, The CW, and 1 local) of existing stations.
Picture and audio quality are very good on my aging 19" TV. The remote works great and can turn the TV on/off. Volume is controlled by altering the audio stream (like changing volume on your computer when your speakers also have a volume knob). You set the TV's volume to mid range and leave it. The only downside is if you pop in a DVD you might get an earful at that volume setting.
I get good reception with a cheap indoor antenna though I'm only 15 miles from the transmitters.
I'm glad I spent a few extra dollars instead of getting my other option (the RCA DTA 800B at Walmart).

Freenet 0.7 Release Candidate 1 now available

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:35:00 +0000

After over 2 years of development the first release candidate for Freenet 0.7 is now available for download. Freenet is free decentralized peer-to-peer software designed to allow information to be published and consumed anonymously, without fear of censorship.
Freenet 0.7 supports both darknet (where you only connect to people you trust which is very useful if you live under a repressive government) and opennet (where you connect to others you don't know). If you run both darknet and opennet your node will be considered a hybrid.

read more | digg story

Ethanol Gas? Save your money.

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:46:00 +0000

I did a little test in my car. I checked my mpg using Super Unleaded containing 10% ethanol and Regular Unleaded respectively; as I expected the ethanol reduced the miles per gallon.
Where I live, fueling with the ethanol blend will save you money per fill-up but not in the long run once you figure your mileage.
Try it yourself. As always, your mileage may very.

Take you time paying off your student loan

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Thu, 03 May 2007 21:11:00 +0000

Don't pay any more than you need to each month on your student loan. This may seem obvious but it might not be.
Often times the loan's interest rate is lower than you could earn else where in interest. I consolidated my loans to a much lower fixed interest rate. I also set up auto payment and made my payments every month which lowered the interest rate even more. My rate is now only 1.875%.
The bottom line is try to earn interest on any extra money you have. If you can earn 5% in a money market account or a CD and your loan is 2% then your net gain is 3% instead of a net loss of 2%. Putting your money in mutual fund is even better but the returns aren't guaranteed so be careful.

Storm Water Power Generation

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Thu, 03 May 2007 19:24:00 +0000

Here's a novel idea to generate some more electricity.
Why not build reservoirs to hold water from storm drains and use it for hydro power. Sure this only works when it rains so rainy climates would benefit more. Flat areas would also not work as well because you need greater elevation drops to generate more electricity. Turbines could also be attached where a city's storm water dumps into a large ditch or river.
I have no idea whether this is feasible both from a cost perspective and an engineering one. Would the returns be worth it? Can hydro power turbines take the punishment of periodic operation while being dry the rest of the time? I don't know either of the answers. Perhaps you the reader can help. Please comment.

On Election Day, Please Vote

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 17:57:00 +0000

You may think your vote doesn't matter, but it does so please vote.
Don't complain to me if you don't like the government. Your vote or lack thereof is the reason.
I don't care if you're Republican, Democrat, Independent, Conservative, Liberal, Moderate, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Atheist or something else. Your vote matters.
This election day remember to vote. If you forgot to register, sorry, do it now and be ready for next year.

The only worthless vote is one that isn't cast.

Soy Yogurt

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Mon, 08 May 2006 16:32:00 +0000

In my ongoing effort to eat fewer milk products I've started eating soy yogurt. The first soy yogurt I purchased was Stonyfield Farm O'Soy and it tasted great. My next trip to a different grocery store forced me to try a new brand as Stonyfield Farm soy yogurt was unavailable so I purchased Silk soy yogurt. Sadly, I was disappointed with both the raspberry and blueberry. I'll stick with Stonyfield Farm soy yogurt in the future. It tastes great and provides six live active cultures.

Government Positions Like Jury Duty

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Wed, 03 May 2006 03:22:00 +0000

I think our senators and representatives should no longer be elected but selected through a process similar to jury duty. I propose this idea as a different form of term limits. We would no longer have life long law makers who lose the interests of the people in pursuit of their own personal gain.

These selected legislators would serve a shorter term of 1 or 2 years.
They must be registered voters and have voted in the past 5 to 10 years which should weed out individuals who know little about the government.
If selected a person has the opportunity to opt out of service.
Salary would be similar to jury duty. The pay isn't great which would discourage greed.
We could start with one representative per state to see how well it works and then increase numbers later.

Conservative Environmentalists

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Wed, 03 May 2006 03:15:00 +0000

Caring for the environment doesn't automatically make you a liberal. It just means you care about more than just yourself. You care about future generations and not just today. I'd call myself a conservative who cares about the environment.
I recycle not just because it keeps our landfills smaller but because it makes economic sense. I learned from our city hall than recycling keeps my garbage bill lower as they pay by volume. Recyclable materials tend to be rather bulky, plastic containers especially.
Everything you throw away that ends up in the landfill is akin to littering, albeit controlled littering. You might as well just through you garbage out the window if you don't want to recycle it. I was taught not to waste things and not recycling is wasting valuable resources.
Personally as a Bible believing Christian, I believe that we are called to be stewards of our world. As stewards we should take care of it but don't place it higher than ourselves. If we can care for the world without hurting our fellow man then go for it. I don't hug a tree but I'm glad it is growing and I'll care for it. However, if I need paper or firewood I'm going to cut it down and use it but I'll plant another one or two in its place. Likewise animals eat other animals so we can too.

My First Post

noreply@blogger.com (K. Gates) — Tue, 02 May 2006 02:04:00 +0000

Well, here it is, my first post.
If everything goes well I should be blogging more.