Geek Habitat

Monday, September 29, 2008 — The single largest drop in the U.S. stock market in a single day was today (no wonder we all hate Mondays!) 778 points, equating to roughly $1.2 TRILLION dollars in value that disappeared overnight.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/29/markets/markets_newyork/index.htm

I’m still not sure the bailout as-written was really going to stave off the bleeding enough to restore bloodflow (capital) to the market and send that capital to the right areas, but the uncertainty in the wake of the bailout dying on the vine is no good for the economy either.

We’re screwed when even Iraq with its $68 billion or so surplus, even if we called in all our debts with them, wouldn’t be a drop in the bucket to help.

The problem is with this going on, pretty much even the most right-minded politician who might actually have been able to do some good is now stuck plugging the levees as it were. There won’t be the kind of reinvestment in America that we need — our infrastructure (bridges, schools, hospitals, military facilities, etc.); scientific research; space exploration; government reforms; etc.

China’s stepping up just as we’re having to hobble off to the sidelines to get our gaping wounds looked after while we plead with our coach to let us back in the ring and try again.

Before we wallow in the doom and gloom though here’s an interesting perspective — http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/2008/09/29/fap877-wishful-presidential-address-on-the-economy/
and
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/29/miron.bailout/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

We left for Corpus Christi, Texas, midday Friday along with much of the Moore and LaRocque clans (including Jason and his daughter Jillian from the Dallas area). Destination: the 5th annual Conquer the Coast bicycle ride comprised of a 25-mile course, a 65-mile course and a time trial course. Justin and brother-in-law David did the 65-mile course, while Justin’s father, Jack, brother Jason, and nephew Tanner did the 25-mile course. Sara and I were among those there simply as spectators and moral support for our riders. Sara got to spend some good quality time with her cousins Kendal and Jillian, and a good time was had by all.

This was the second year that everyone participated in Conquer the Coast, although last year there was torrential rain and the 65-mile course was canceled due to widespread flooding. Happily, this year the weather was nearly perfect for the riders and spectators.

My camera’s batteries died long before any of our riders crossed the finish line, so I was relegated to taking grainy cameraphone pictures. Hence, my Flickr is populated with mostly pics of Sara in her stroller, in the hotel room or in her carseat en route to Corpus Christi and back home to San Antonio. Oh well. At some point I’ll get back into being able to shoot my Canon EOS 1D Mark II camera and some nice zoom lenses again. Someday. With Sara so small I just don’t want the added weight, literally and figuratively (worried about the gear getting lost, damaged or stolen).

I’ll update this post once Justin posts a copy of his email Conquer the Coast wrap-up to his Bike Geek blog. I don’t want to scoop him by reposting it here before he’s had a chance to post it beyond email.

I remain exceptionally proud of Justin, not only for his commitment to a healthier lifestyle by way of bicycling but also for his inspiration of his family and friends to do the same.
In the meantime, check out his Flickr set: Conquer the Coast 2008. My pics from the weekend are online, as well. Enjoy!

Those in the doomsday camp will be thrilled to hear the end of the world has been postponed for two months while the Large Hadron Collider is down for repairs. Their description of the problem? “…a faulty electrical connection between two magnets that stopped superconducting, melted and led to a mechanical failure and let helium out.” Sounds pretty exciting, in the way that NASCAR crashes and Winter Olympics luge crashes are exciting to watch; it was, in fact, probably more exciting than the LHC typically is to the untrained eye, given its high-tech research is with things we cannot see without the aid of lots and lots of computers, giant magnets, lots of power and a 17-mile tunnel chilled to near Absolute Zero.

No one said the path to scientific discovery was an easy one. It would be amazing if something that complex worked flawlessly right out of the starting gate. Remember, your Windows operating system can’t even be counted on to do that (nevermind about The Mojave Experiment.)

Gotta love real life rocket scientists. Enjoy Steve Jurvetson’s TED talk. (check his Flickr, too!)

Check out the TED site, too, if you aren’t familiar with it. It’s an organization that pulls great minds in Technology, Entertainment & Design (TED) together to give talks to folks. And they’re all available online. Good for inspiration when one needs it -> http://www.ted.com/

I came to the rather embarrassing realization yesterday that I’d somehow tacked on an additional month to Sara’s age, making her 18 months old when she was in fact 17 months old. So now it’s a little anti-climactic because three days ago she officially turned 18 months old. (Lost yet?)

This shouldn’t surprise me too much since I’ve been known to forget how old I am (35 in December… don’t ask me how that happened!)

Another embarrassing reality is I’ve been so busy and uninspired (blog-wise) that I never went back and finished Sara’s 17 month birthday post. /bad mom

Life’s good, just busy.

I don’t think there’s that much cross-pollination between my Wild Texas: Parks, Nature & Travel Guide website and here so I’m reposting some of the Ike information I’ve posted there as a blog entry to help/inform:

• Pretty much all the food banks in Texas need additional donations of food due to the large numbers of evacuees they are serving. Three in particular are: Austin Food Bank’s resources are depleted and they are in urgent need of donations (money; pop-top canned meats, peanut butter; shampoo, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products). San Antonio Food Bank needs money or pasta, canned meat, rice, beans, cereal & individually-wrapped snacks. It appears the Houston Food Bank would most appreciate monetary donations at this time so they can purchase the truckloads of donation items required quickly to distribute to folks in need. I checked, and the Dallas (North Texas Food Bank) is *NOT* in need of food donations at this time although I’m sure they won’t turn away food & other donations.
• The latest news from Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is posted at TPWD: Emergency Notices including the staggering report that more than 5,000 people took refuge from Hurricane Ike at 53 different state parks across Texas. Most of them, more than 2,000, stayed at Garner State Park! I don’t know if other states do this, but Texas opens its State Parks to evacuees free of charge during natural disasters. Campsites (including tent/water & RV hookup sites) are free of charge; cabins and shelters are offered at a reduced rate. . For the latest info., folks should call the TPWD Central Reservation/Info Line at (512) 389-8900.
• While Texas bore the brunt of Hurricane Ike, it’s startling to me to see how deadly it remained as it traveled through the nation’s midsection and all the way up to the Great Lakes region:
  33 deaths in 9 states

  State breakdown:
  Texas – 7
  Louisiana – 6
  Tennessee – 2
  Ohio – 4
  Indiana – 7
  Illinois – 2
  Missouri – 3
  Kentucky – 1

  Coastal Rescues:
  1,984 people rescued so far; 394 by air

  Power Info:
  AP: more than 1.6 million customers without power

  Shelter Numbers:
  - At least 37,000 evacuees in Texas, including (in addition to?) over 5,000 that sheltered free of charge at Texas State Parks.
  Source: KTRK Houston (ABC13.com) — “Ike by numbers“

• A collection of absolutely sobering photos of devastation at Crystal Beach and vicinity.
• Texas State Parks affected by hurricane Ike. If you had camping plans over the next couple months, be sure to double-check that a.) the park you intended to visit is open and accepting visitors and b.) that the park you intended to visit is not at or over capacity due to hosting hundreds or thousands of hurricane evacuees.
• ABC affiliate station KTRK of Houston has confirmed reports that the historic Bolivar Lighthouse is destroyed, its top sheared off leaving little more than splinters sticking up — Source: abc13.com Blog: Bolivar lighthouse destroyed – Wayne’s report
• If you want to read the latest updates, one good source is to sign up (free of charge) for Twitter.com and follow these accounts who regularly post Hurricane Ike-related news and resources:
  @KTRKHouston (ABC affiliate in Houston)
  @chronhurricane (Houston Chronicle)
  @TrackingIke — was an amazing resource during the storm but is largely dormant until the next hurricane.
• MSM (Mainstream Media) sources regarding Ike include:
  KHOU TV

  Houston Chronicle newspaper

  San Antonio Express News newspaper / KENS5 TV

  Beaumont Enterprise newspaper

  Austin American Statesman newspaper

• Information for evacuees and supporting evacuees:
  American Red Cross
  FEMA: Hurricane Ike
  Official State of Texas website (relief, recovery, etc. info.)