The form of energy we use to get from A to B is not the problem. Whether it's electric, internal combustion, nuclear powered, or peddle cars, we're missing the point. Using electric cars is is like treating skin cancer with a band aid.

The real problem is how we design our cities.

Ever since auto manufacturer's decided that everyone needs to have a car, and that they need to drive those cars everywhere, cities have been designed around the concept. Literally everything is deigned with only the slightest thought of where people will walk.

Go to your local mall. Try walking from the street, through the parking lot, into the mall. There probably isn't any place designed for you to walk. You're walking where the cars go, and battling them for space as you make your journey.

We gave our entire country to the auto industry, and now we're dependent on oil, pollute in excessive amounts, and design our cities so that they only way to get around is to own a car.

It didn't used to be like this. Here's a graph showing historical per-capita vehicle ownership.

Compare that graph with this one of obesity rates from 1960 to 2000:

I'm not saying that driving cars is making us fat, but I am saying that people used to walk a lot more. It used to be okay to walk two blocks to go to the corner store, but now we don't give hoping in the car a second thought.

Think about it - which of these two places would you rather live?

One place has lasting value, one place does not.

I saw an old photograph of downtown Provo and was surprised to see trolley tracks right down Center Street. Salt Lake City used to have one of the most impressive public transit systems in the country. Then the car came and made it all unnecessary. Now we all get to stay in our own little air-conditioned bubble as we move about the city.

So the solution for our energy crisis is not to come up with new innovative ways of powering a car (although that's okay too), it's to start designing our cities like they used to be designed. Remove our dependence on cars and the energy crisis solves itself.

Think of the effect that this would have not only on energy, but on pollution, obesity, social interaction, and an overall sense of community? This is the way the world should be.

Given the lack of anyone competent to vote for this election season, it is with great pleasure that I officially announce my candidacy for President. I will be running as an Independent because I'm pretty sure that means it's free.

My motto is "change you can really for reals believe in, really." Never before has "some guy" been elected president. Help me make this dream a reality!

I will officially run as "Sam" because I think America and I can be on a first name basis. Also notice that my thumb is dirty in my official campaign photo. That is because I am a real life hard working American and also I just repaired the tire on my bike.

My main focus is a free market and state rights. I will let poorly managed financial institutions go out of business and I will make it so citizens don't have to pay their neighbor's mortgages. I will veto any laws regarding social issues and ask the states to make their own decisions. I will not start any more destined-to-fail government programs.

Vote for me in November and I'll totally let you stay in the Lincoln Bedroom!

P.S. I need a running mate - apply in the comments!

Hey everybody, go take a sneak peek at my new blog, WEIRDBOT. There you'll find the weirdest, most bizarre stuff from around the Internet. It is still in the pre-launch phase so if you see something out of place in the theme, content, or whatever don't worry about it. I will be officially launching this blog this week or next.

Let me know what you think or if you have any good ideas!

Today I was introduced to Skurfing. Skurfing is a mixture of skating, surfing, and wakeboarding. Instead of holding a rope, the rope is tied to the board, and instead of you moving, the water moves beneath you.

There are only a few places where you can Skurf in relative safety - and one is right up in Spanish Fork. This is video of Brikon and Adam I took with my phone. I have some pictures too, which I'll upload as soon as Brikon sends them to me.

Microburst

Since it's been far too long, I present to you a brand new gthing.net wallpaper for your computer. This wallpaper is 1440x900 for 15" widescreen computers. I will convert to other sizes by request. Click the image above for the full size.

You can find more here.

Dear RIAA,

My friend Jonathan Swift and I have been brainstorming on how to put an end to all this illegal filesharing, and I think we have found a solution.

When you try to sue someone, they have two choices. Give in and pay a settlement, or take it to court and defend themselves. So, in other words; admit guilt or tie yourself up in a legal proceeding that is likely to take years of your time and profit you nothing.

We know a lot of these people are likely to win in such a proceeding, but your lawyers do a wonderful job of dragging them out as long as it takes for these dastardly pirates to conceed.
So we came up with a simple test that will up front tell you if you have a valid pirate on your hands. There are two things a real pirate won't do: drown or burn to death. Real pirates have crazy-l33t powers that keep them protected from fire and water.

Therefore, we propse that instead of the whole lawsuit thing, just simply tie rocks to an accused pirate and throw them in a lake. Alternately, if you prefer not to get your feet wet, you can make a nice bonfire and throw them in. In either case, if they end up dead, we will know they were innocent. If they live, well then, they're all yours to do with as you please.

We realize that this is not a large departure from your current tactics, but it will save you a lot of money on lawyers - money which would be better served in your CEO's pocket.

We are also trying to start up a program here in our home town of Salem that will let you report on supposed pirates. That would save you guys a lot of leg work on finding people to test as pirates. For some reason the people here aren't really going for it.
Sincerely,

A concerned netizen.