Spout

This site is full of ideas. Some of them might make you cringe. They may not align with your worldview, perspectives, or experiences. That’s a great thing.

If they’re gonna remove car lanes for bike lanes, they should go all in

Yesterday, I wrote about local governments thwarting the will of their own people to add bike lanes everywhere at the expense of growing automobile traffic. I heard a great idea from a local mayor who was talking about Seattle’s penchant for removing vehicle lanes to replace bike lanes. His suggestion was that if bikers get in an accident in their bike lanes, their only emergency assistance option should be bike ambulances. Someone on a bike, pulling a stretcher attachment, should ride up, help you out, throw you on the back (if needed), and bike you off to the local…

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Government for the people? or vs the people…

Over in Bellevue, the city just east, and across Lake Washington, from Seattle, they get to watch all the mistakes the Seattle City Council makes. If you ever visit Seattle for a day, and then head over to Bellevue, you’ll see a tale of two very different cities. If Seattle represents the extremes of liberalism, Bellevue is its conservative half-brother. Over the past ten years, Seattle bowed down to the pressure of fools and determined that while Seattle’s population is growing at a nearly 3% annual clip (Seattle added 134,000 residents to it’s small 610,000 resident frame in the…

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The curse of courtesy

Last night, a car service arrived at 2:30 am to pick up my neighbor from his house across the street. The driver pulled up, honked, then backed into his driveway so his brights were facing my house and lighting up the entire bedroom. Not satisfied with this level of thoughtlessness, he was able to improve on it by opening and slamming every door on the car and having as loud of a conversation as he could with my neighbor. When you’ve always got one eye on being thoughtful and considerate to others, this sort of thing will drive you…

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Create as many opportunities as you can

In life, you aren’t given opportunities. You create opportunities. You create opportunities by being friendly to others. You create them by always keeping doors open. You create them by helping someone out when you see them struggling. Be outgoing and meet new people. Be confident and realize that others have done what you fear. Attend meetings and gatherings. Always say “yes” when you get asked to do something. Be open-minded to all ideas and offers. Be optimistic about your chances to succeed – at anything. You create opportunities by making yourself the kind of person that others want to…

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Speaking of Apple miracles

Yesterday, I mentioned that after it appeared all hope was lost, I found a source for the now-discontinued iPhone SE. But that’s not the only Apple miracle this month. For the past few years, I was stupidly purchasing long-discontinued, classic iPods to store and play my music. I have more than 40,000 songs in my iTunes, and I like to travel with the music files stored on whatever device I’m using so I’m not reliant on a wifi network to listen to the music. Thinking the 160GB iPod was the last, best source, I was buying them on Amazon…

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You can still get the SE iPhone

If you’re me, and you understand that the iPhone SE was the best iPhone ever made because of the amazing form factor (or, if you just like to use the phrase “form factor” because it adds about 20 points to your IQ), you were understandably sad to hear that they’re no longer making or selling it. I had made a mental note to keep up with every year’s new iPhone launch to make sure if it was going to be the end of the SE, that I would get a few back up phones to use it as long…

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Productivity

Productivity is a cause and a calling all unto itself. Productivity is the desire to build, to create, to solve and to achieve. Most of all, productivity is the means to the end that is self-sustainment. Like many conservatives, I couldn’t wait to get out of college to start tackling the challenges of private industry while earning my own money so that I wasn’t beholden to my parents or anyone else. When I got out of school, I took a job managing a convenience store, just to set out on my own. Working any job – no matter where,…

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Thanks, climate change

It used to be that you could take a straw, roll it up by both ends so you have air trapped in the middle, and then snap it to make a fun popping sound. The fun we’d have, rolling up straws. Poppin’ ’em. A friend of mine tried that with one of the new, environmentally friendly, compostable straws, and I have to say… it just wasn’t the same. Instead of a clean “snap!” it was just a dull thud. To which my friend glumly said, “oh… climate change.” Climate change, indeed. So much for fun, recreational, straw popping.

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American exceptionalism

Conservatives speak quite a bit about American exceptionalism. When they do, they’re not saying that Americans are inherently greater than people from any other country. What they’re saying is that at the foundation of the country – articulated in the Constitution – is a premise that is greater, and more important, than that of any other country on earth. What sets the United States apart from any other nation on earth is that we live under the idea that everyone has an equal right to pursue life, liberty and happiness and that these rights are given to us by…

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When you need a hunk a metal to keep things running

Whether you got big machines or little machines, Speedy Metal can help. Here is the number one nominee for worst jingle of the year: Speedy Metals. This one’s got it all. Horrible lyrics. Gravely-voiced, aging rock ‘n’ roll man on vocals. Power chords. And the most awkward product/service one could offer. It’s one thing to need metals. But sometimes, you need them really fast. Who else would you even consider, other than Speedy Metals?

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