Category: environment

environment, health, politics, tax1 Comment

Protect Colorado – Give me a break! (Yes on 112)

Mark Cathcart

When we ride our bikes north and east of Boulder you can see the gas and oil pipelines an extraction points at regular intervals. But it’s nothing like Texas. Very, Very few oil derricks, certainly in and around Erie, CO there are a number of fracking pad sites, you can see them clearly from Colorado State Highway 52, in places. But there is nothing like the density I expected given the prominence of the Oil and Gas industry in the state politics. Even when you drive out through north east Colorado, wells yes, but still surrounded by massive areas of … Continue reading Protect Colorado – Give me a break! (Yes on 112)

automation, culture, environment, films, Life, Politics2 Comments

Look & See – Rural America

Mark Cathcart

I’ve written a number of harsh posts about those living in rural America, mostly based off the perception that is pushed by the Republican party, that is, rural Americans don’t understand, and resent urban Americans. That rural Americans are the god-fearing, backbone of America and urban and city dwellers are welfare dependents, and worse still, socialists. Certainly, the Republican party continue to push this agenda today, dividing sub-urban and rural communities from the cities. As shown here, rural Americans claiming benefits has sky rocketed between ’96 and 2015; increasingly, the programs getting cut, adversely hit rural America harder, as rural … Continue reading Look & See – Rural America

culture, environment, Life, tax, transportLeave a comment

Kohl’s and Car Oriented Development

Mark Cathcart

Back in July, @_anthonyhahn wrote an article which appeared in both the Daily Camera and the Colorado Hometown Weekly about a potential new Kohl’s store in Lafayette CO, and what that meant for the Louisville CO store. Kohl’s to open in #LafayetteCO, leaving future of department store’s #LouisvilleCO site in question https://t.co/aImC6qPMKF via @_anthonyhahn — Daily Camera (@dailycamera) July 9, 2018 While pitting the two adjacent cities against each other in a battle for sales tax is valid, it totally misses the point about all the new development around the 287 Corridor, north of Lafayette. At the time, I wrote … Continue reading Kohl’s and Car Oriented Development

art, culture, environment, LifeLeave a comment

#TEDxBoulder2017

Mark Cathcart

I got to attend my first TEDx Boulder yesterday, it was a good mix of both motivational speakers, those talking about lessons they’ve learned from personal experience, and some professional development speakers on the topic of CLIMATE and CHANGE. Overall an excellent way to spend an afternoon and early evening. I’ve curated my tweets from the event into a Twitter Moment. If you have any questions, or feedback on the subjects, feel free to leave a comment or email the usual way. #TEDxBoulder2017 Continue reading #TEDxBoulder2017

environment, Life, Politics, politicsLeave a comment

You get what you want in Texas

Mark Cathcart

The Austin American Statesman today published a frank review of the Texas rules on disclosure of chemical storage “Information scarce on chemical plant blasts — just like Texas wanted“. I wrote about this issue precisely back in “The Texas Freedom Illusion” and after the “West Disaster” report. In essence, under the veil of “security”, Governor Abbott has effectively just stopped individual Texans from finding out about these storage facilities, and in the same way as you are much more likely to be shot by a gun owning family member, than a jihadi; you are much more likely to get killed, … Continue reading You get what you want in Texas

automation, culture, environment, films, Life, technology, transport, workLeave a comment

The machines are coming – 2049?

Mark Cathcart

It is notoriously difficult to predict the future. I lived my life at IBM, following Alan Kays 1982 aphorism The best way to predict the future is to invent it In my career I got many things right, and many things wrong. While Amazon was still a small time bookseller, and Youtube for the most part didn’t exist, it was obvious both business models would thrive. While I couldn’t convince IBM to pursue either of these opportunities with ny success, we demonstrated the technology perfectly. My “Wired for Life” Presentation contains some of my wins, and many of my losses. … Continue reading The machines are coming – 2049?

environment, Life

What to do if you can’t find eclipse glasses?

Mark Cathcart

It’s like the end of the world is coming, and people want to watch the eclipse to be part of it. The rush to buy glasses has reached such a fever-pitch that there are news stories about what to do, “What to do if you can’t find eclipse glasses in Northern Colorado“. Amazon has had a mass recall of glasses that are not safe and the locals here are having a meltdown because the stores have, apparently, run out. My advice isn’t having very dark safety lenses going to defeat the point of the experience? Kinda like those people who … Continue reading What to do if you can’t find eclipse glasses?

environment, Politics, tax, transport, travel, waterLeave a comment

Trains, horns and taxes

Mark Cathcart

I’ve been  frustrated that my blog has been withering but I just didn’t want to be an endless stream of rants about the #potus45 administration. So this isn’t about them, at all. While I have in mind a summery I’ll steer clear for now. So, meanwhile back in beautiful Colorado, the natives are getting worked up over a plan to install “quiet zones”  for all the railroad crossings in town. As much as I can’t envisage enjoying the horn blowing, and we can barely hear them in the night, apparently many can and do like them and have a nostalgia … Continue reading Trains, horns and taxes