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Which is Greener: New Prius or Used Car with Good MPG?
Your query is a serious toughie, as we don't really know how much energy it takes to manufacture a hybrid. Toyota does admit that because the Prius' engine and battery are relatively complex, assembling the hybrid requires more energy than making a similarly sized nonhybrid vehicle. But the company has never quantified that energy premium, so the Lantern will have to rely on an educated guess. If our informed figure is in the ballpark, however, a fresh Prius beats virtually all used competitors—assuming you follow the Lantern's golden rule and keep your car running until the bitter end.
Your query is a serious toughie, as we don't really know how much energy it takes to manufacture a hybrid. Toyota does admit that beca... more -
Tisk, Tisk, Tisk! What The FCC Is Doing Wrong Now
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is holding an open meeting today, giving students of public policy a chance to observe an especially egregious arm of the regulatory state. If you want to see what's wrong with Washington, the FCC is as good a place as any to start looking: Since its birth in 1934, it has manifested three fundamental problems ...
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An interesting editorial about how the FCC does, or doesn't, act in the public's best interest. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is holding an open meeting today, giving students of public policy a chance to observe an ... more -
The Worst Business Advice Ever. Or Is It the Best?
“When you’re competing against companies that have so much more, the only answer is to do less,” Jason and David told me. “Do less than your competitors to beat them. Instead of one-upping other companies, one-down them. Instead of out-doing other products, under-do them.”
I get it, I responded: Less is more, right? Jason and David shook their heads. “No, less is less—because more is not better! Everyone tries to do too much: solve too many problems, build products with too many features. Our goal is to do less, to build half a product rather than a half-assed product. So we say ‘no’ to almost everything. If you include every decent idea that comes along, you'll just wind up with a half-assed version of your product. What you really want to do is build half a product that kicks ass.”
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This really does make you think a bit about what it is that most businesses are really trying to accomplish. How did everything get so complicated? Wouldn't everyone be better off if things were simpler? (Or would we all just be unemployed?) “When you’re competing against companies that have so much more, the only answer is to do less,” Jason and David told me. “Do less tha... more -
I HEART (To Hate!) CEOs
They all like PROFIT! They're all RICH! They're all ... new?
14 of the top 15 U.S. food companies have hired new CEOs in the last three years. A lot of Current posters seem to like to shoot CEOs for sport, so I thought I'd arm you all with the latest news on what strategies these new food company CEOs are implementing -- including passing on commodity costs to consumers, closing manufacturing plants, and firing workers -- for no good reason other than to pad the pockets of their shareholders.
[Sarcasm sequence complete.] They all like PROFIT! They're all RICH! They're all ... new? ... more -
Bush Proposes $275MM Budget Increase for FDA
This has been a long time coming. It is not clear exactly how the money will be used, but the article indicates that it will go toward hiring additional staff and opening new offices overseas. The budget increase seems to have backing from both parties.
With this increase, the FDA's budget would exceed $2 billion in 2009. This has been a long time coming. It is not clear exactly how the money will be used, but the article indicates that it will go towar... more -
"Baby Fat" Is Out, "Fat Baby" Is In
At what point does cute "baby fat" become more worrisome? This WSJ article reviews obesity programs aimed at toddlers.
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I Spy Something SMALLER! Watch Out For Stealth Price Increases
Yet another strategy that companies use to churn profits without arousing consumer suspicion.
Selling less product for the same price is a frequently-practiced strategy among consumer packaged goods companies, so this story does not come as a surprise. Consumers might want to be on the lookout for such stealth price increases when shopping for groceries (though realistically, while you might notice that your pack of gum has fewer pieces, your half gallon of ice cream probably suffers from freezer burn before you try to eat that last scoop and your natural cheese slices will probably taste just as good on your sandwich even if they're now .04mm thinner than they used to be).
By the way, does this explain the existence of capri pants? Yet another strategy that companies use to churn profits without arousing consumer suspicion. ... more -
Time-Warner customers will have to pay for bandwidth
"This Thursday, new cable Internet customers in Beaumont, Texas will no longer have unmetered Internet bandwidth - they’re guinea pigs in a new pricing scheme being pushed by Time-Warner that will give users between 5 and 40 gigabytes in total monthly data usage (uploads and downloads combined). Data usage over that amount will be billed at $1 per gigabyte. Competitor Comcast is also considering metered bandwidth.
"The goal is to limit average data usage, allowing Time-Warner to get more customers into their existing fiber infrastructure. Since there is little or no competition for Internet connectivity, they don’t have to worry so much about losing customers."
Ah, the joy of cable and internet monopolies. "This Thursday, new cable Internet customers in Beaumont, Texas will no longer have unmetered Internet bandwidth - they’re guinea pigs... more -
Payday lenders are ripping off American families
Payday loans taken out for up to 120 days are limited to 403 percent annual interest. The Lenders get around this by pushing people to 121 day loans so they can rip them off even worse. What a scam. Payday loans taken out for up to 120 days are limited to 403 percent annual interest. The Lenders get around this by pushing people to... more
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Space scientist says texting is four times more expensive than receiving scientifi...
"A University of Leicester space scientist has worked out that sending texts via mobile phones works out to be far more expensive than downloading data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Dr Nigel Bannister’s calculations were used for the Channel 4 Dispatches programme “The Mobile Phone Rip-Off”.
He worked out the cost of obtaining a megabyte of data from Hubble – and compared that with the 5p cost of sending a text.
He said: “The bottom line is texting is at least 4 times more expensive than transmitting data from Hubble, and is likely to be substantially more than that.
“The maximum size for a text message is 160 characters, which takes 140 bytes because there are only 7 bits per character in the text messaging system, and we assume the average price for a text message is 5p. There are 1,048,576 bytes in a megabyte, so that's 1 million/140 = 7490 text messages to transmit one megabyte. At 5p each, that's £374.49 per MB - or about 4.4 times more expensive than the ‘most pessimistic’ estimate for Hubble Space Telescope transmission costs.”
Dr Bannister said it had been difficult to work out exactly how much Hubble data transmission costs. So he contacted NASA who gave him a firm figure of £8.85 per megabyte (MB) for the transmission of data from HST to the Earth.
“This doesn't include the cost of the ground stations and the time of the personnel along the way, but it is an unambiguous number for that part of the process. So that's £8.85 to get each MB from Hubble, to the first point of contact on the ground, but no further. Hence we need to go a little bit further to estimate exactly how much it costs to transmit data from Hubble to the end user - i.e. to the data archive which scientists can access. This is difficult, so I had to make some conservative assumptions.”
Dr Bannister estimated the cost of the data from Hubble could vary between £8.85 and £85 per MB- much cheaper than the £374.49 per MB cost of transmitting one MB of text.
He concludes: “Hubble is by no means a cheap mission – but the mobile phone text costs were pretty astronomical!” "
Credit: PhysOrg.com
...ba-da-dum..! well, it just makes me dislike the phone companies even more. "A University of Leicester space scientist has worked out that sending texts via mobile phones works out to be far more expensive than... more -
Quality Assurance: The Consumer Revolution
There is a customer service crisis in America, and consumers are right on the front lines of the battle. It's a situation that's gone from frustrating to infuriating to intolerable. This piece explores customers' worst nightmares... and how they've begun fighting back. There is a customer service crisis in America, and consumers are right on the front lines of the battle. It's a situation that's gone... more
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Angry Jimmy Dean Sausage Customer Video
This is an actual customer complaint received by Jimmy Dean Sausage toll free consumer feedback line. Some guy and his big family are pissed that Jimmy Dean has reduced the size of their sausages. This is an actual customer complaint received by Jimmy Dean Sausage toll free consumer feedback line. Some guy and his big family are ... more
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Help Me! I've Got A Bug In My Computer!
In this video, Harold Cameron, Chief of Helping People and Consumer Advocate for HaroldSays, shares about how his computer got infected with viruses, adware, spyware, malware, Trojans and other parasitic creatures that can destroy a person's computer. He shares what he learned about how to get rid of these computer parasites and keep your computer operating at the optimum level. In this video, Harold Cameron, Chief of Helping People and Consumer Advocate for HaroldSays, shares about how his computer got infecte... more
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No Purchase Necessary: Black Friday Transformed
by Nicole
Activist group Adbusters are urging us to detox from conspicuous consumption and take a break from our culture of consumerism by observing Buy Nothing Day on November 23rd. Running around malls in crazed crowds certainly has a way of taking the good will out of what's supposed to be a highly spiritual holiday season, so Adbusters are suggesting we shop less and live more, using the traditional Black Friday retail fest as a day for relaxed family outings or free, non-commercial street parties instead.
Now in it's 15th year, BND was the idea of Canadian artist Ted Dave. Promoted by Adbusters, a self-proclaimed "global network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist movement of the information age," BND is now observed in 65 countries worldwide, with the international day falling on Saturday November 24th this year.
For those who are more action orientated, Adbusters are suggesting three forms of protest. The first is a "Credit Card Cut Up," with volunteers offering their debt-destroying services at malls nationwide. The second is the "Zombie Walk" where the "cheerful dead wander around malls, marveling at the blank, comatose expressions on the faces of shoppers." The last form of action is our favorite; Those participating in the "Whirl-Mart" are asked to form long, conga-like lines, with their shopping-carts in hand, "silently" and "inexplicably" pushing them around store isles "without ever actually buying anything."
But Adbusters hope the effects last long after the 24-hour moratorium on consumer spending has ceased. They're hoping to change our habits and open our eyes to all the unnecessary items we buy and consume. Ultimately the stuff of life just weights us down, and crushes our soul, filling our hearts with guilt as wallow in our unfair share of wealth and trudge the earth with too much baggage and debt! Next time you're in a store, or about to do the "one click" online, ask yourself two simple questions: Do I really need or just want this item? And will I care about it or use it in six month's time, or will it be stuffed at the back of a cupboard or drawer and forgotten by then?
"So much emphasis has been placed on buying carbon offsets and compact fluorescent lightbulbs and hybrid cars that we are losing sight of the core cause of our environmental problems: we consume far too much," says Adbusters co-founder Kalle Lasn. "Buy Nothing Day isn't just about changing your routine for one day. It's about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment. With over six billion people on the planet, it is the responsibility of the most affluent - the upper 20% that consumes 80% of the world's resources - to set out on a new path."
http://www.dailymantra.com
http://www.myspace.com/thedailymantra by Nicole ... more -
Anti-ripoff megapost from The Consumerist
The Consumerist has posted a giant round-up of their advocacy articles called "The Ultimate Consumerist Guide To Fighting Back." It breaks down into three sections:
Section 1: "I've been wronged! What do I do next?"
Section 2: The Consumerist Corporate Executive Directory
Section 3: Success Stories The Consumerist has posted a giant round-up of their advocacy articles called "The Ultimate Consumerist Guide To Fighting Back." It br... more -
Comcast Caught Filtering Political E-Mails
"Most Comcast internet customers seem to have horror stories, but in my humble opinion this one is a doozie and may even suggest threats to freedom of speech more significant than the jailing of a court stenographer."
I wonder if Orson Welles had this in mind when he penned 1984? Thank God G-Mail doesn't hate freedom of speech. "Most Comcast internet customers seem to have horror stories, but in my humble opinion this one is a doozie and may even suggest threa... more -
12 Things You Didn't Know You Could Recycle
Toothbrushes! Who knew?
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K-Mart illegally taxes toilet paper?
Of all things to tax illegally. "A Pennsylvania K-Mart levied an illegal $0.28 tax on Mary Bach's $3.99 12-pack of Angel Soft toilet paper. Pennsylvania's sales tax guide clearly states that toilet paper is a non-taxable item. Mary first spoke with a cashier after noticing the illegal charge. When K-Mart again charged her the tax on a second visit, she decided to sue." Of all things to tax illegally. "A Pennsylvania K-Mart levied an illegal $0.28 tax on Mary Bach's $3.99 12-pack of Angel Soft toilet p... more
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Woman Sues Apple, Seeks $1M In Damages
A New York woman is so angry at Apple Inc. for lopping $200 off the price of the iPhone that she's filed a lawsuit seeking $1 million in damages. Are you kidding me????? A New York woman is so angry at Apple Inc. for lopping $200 off the price of the iPhone that she's filed a lawsuit seeking $1 million ... more
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Mattel Recall: Good News Is That It's Before Christmas Rush
Mattel Co.'s third toy recall in little more than a month may be more of a blessing than a curse, analysts say, as the company appears to have done the right thing by weeding out even the smallest products that are tainted with lead-based paints -- and is doing it in time to recover for the Christmas season. (CNN) Mattel Co.'s third toy recall in little more than a month may be more of a blessing than a curse, analysts say, as the company appears... more
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