The Last Downtown Farmer's Market is Today

More Good Stuff from Annie Leonard

I am a big fan of The Story of Stuff video series and was pleased today to learn that Annie and the team have released a new video. If you like whiteboard animation, have a passion for improving our societal impact on the planet, or just have nine minutes to kill, check this new video out:

The Story of Solutions

Have a great weekend and do something lavishly generous for someone else!

Solving One Electric Vehicle Problem

This is my stealth scooter, but I did not rebuild it to be a stealth scooter - I rebuilt it to be an electric scooter. When I did get it on the road, I learned that the stealth part is just inherent in the electric part.  I also have an electric bicycle and an electric motorcyle, and they are all quite stealthy, but the scooter is by far the quietest of the three. They are so darn quiet! It's really nice and peaceful to ride until you come upon someone walking.  When you ride it through residential neighborhoods, you startle almost all pedestrians - dogs, cats, squirrels, people. They jump, they scream, they run in circles. I tap the horn a great deal when riding it just to give everyone or everything a heads-up, but I still end up startling a fair number of creatures. I have seen many different methods for drawing attention when travelling electric, and some have been very creative. My favorite so far is an mp3 player that plays sound effects from the Jetson's vehicles.

Here's a video of some comedians who have found a bit of hilarity in solving this problem. Enjoy!

Electric Vehicle Attention

Supporting the Local Arts - Flatland Film Festival

Quick Post: We are less than two weeks from the Flatland Film Festival. Don't miss out on one of Lubbock's kept secrets!

Flatland Film Festival - LHUCA

Following Your Dreams (!@#$%???) - Lubbock Food Trucks

This is Keith:

Until recently, I did not know Keith well enough to call him a dreamer. (By the way, he's not a Pastafarian, that I know of.) I now know that Keith has two dreams. Dream One is to rebuild an old Italian scooter and to race it from Alaska to the Big Easy. Dream Two (the one important to this post) is to have his own coffee cart and to sell phenomenal coffee to the good people of our town. I don't know that he wants to pedal his cart, but I do know that he creates some very tasty beverages.

Lately, it seems that several of my friends have been talking about food trucks and vending carts in Lubbock, so I started looking around.

Yelp thinks we have no food trucks at all:

But the Twist'd Texan would seem to disagree:
The Twist'd Texan (By the way, this article mentions a ban on food trucks in Lubbock.)

When searching for the best food truck in Lubbock, I found that the best Lubbock food truck is actually located in NY, NY, and most of the rest don't actually have wheels.
Best Food Truck in Lubbock

That might be because of the Lubbock ban on them and the obstacles that businesses like Crusty's Wood-Fired Pizza have faced here in the Hub City:
http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2011-12-12/street-use-license-laws-confound-some-lubbock-vendors

So Keith, Grizz, JB, and all you other food truck hopefuls, I don't know what to tell you guys about following your food truck dreams, but I promise to be a customer if and when it happens.

Dear Reader, what other food trucks have you seen around here? What foods would you like to see rolling up to a location near you?

Have yourself a wonderful day and be sure to support your local businesses - especially if they have wheels.

Fuel Mileage - More Better Math

I read this article today and now find myself very intrigued by the More Better idea. The 10mpg to 20mpg switch is more better than a 33mpg to 50mpg switch.

A little fuel mileage knowledge...

From the Article:
(2) Improving a low number saves more gas (and money) than improving a high number.
It saves way more gas money to improve a car from 10 to 20 miles per gallon than it does to go from 33 to 50 mpg. (Here's the math.)
But most Americans surveyed think the opposite is true; they get gas mileage exactly backwards.
While a 50-mpg Toyota Prius hybrid will give you great bragging rights, if you move up from a 33-mpg compact car, you're only saving 1 gallon every 100 miles.
If you can replace your old 10-mpg truck with a new 20-mpg pickup, you'll save 10 gallons every 100 miles. You do the math on that one

Of course, going from 10mpg-50mpg would be even better; however, if you are looking to upgrade and you're waiting until that even better mpg vehicle becomes available, maybe it's time to double-check your math.

May you have a more better day and a pleasanter tomorrow!

Thoreau for your brain, my Sasha for your smile

Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it.

Henry David Thoreau

May your day be filled with wonder and thanks.