Category: Uncategorized

The whole purpose of writing things is for other people to understand your ideas. Why then is so much writing bad?

Steven Pinker suggests in The Source of Bad Writing that the issue is

The ‘curse of knowledge’ leads writers to assume their readers know everything they know

Continue reading “Ideas to make your writing more understandable. Give it a shot.”

For your chuckle of the day, check out this video of a leisurely pit stop in 1950.

The driver barely stops in 2013. Watch carefully or you will miss the refueling and tire changes.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RRy_73ivcms]

(hat tip: carpe diem)

Russell Gold, a reporter with the Wall Street Journal has a new book out, The Boom, which discusses the amazing changes in the energy world due to hydraulic fracturing.

The WSJ has a great excerpt from his book in the 4/8 paper edition. You can find the online edition at A Look Inside America’s Fracking Boom.

You can find the book at Amazon here.

The excerpt is superb, by the way.

Book was released today. I already have my copy on my e-reader. Also have a lot of other books on my to-read list, so may be a while before I have any comment on it.

Oil production in the state hit 973,280 barrels a day, up from revised 945K bopd in October.

With increases in production typical over the last six months, the million point could be passed in December or January. However, the rough winter will probably slow the production amount for a few months. More likely it will be February or March before passing 1M bopd.

Value of the production

Production for the month was 29,198,385 barrels. The Director’s Cut says sweet crude prices were $71.42 for the month.  That means the value of oil produced was about $2.085 billion. With a higher price of $85.16 in October, the value of oil extracted was $2.5 billion. The higher price and extra day of production made October higher.

Two billion a month. Very cool.

Graphs

Here’s a few of my graphs:

Average production by month for the whole state and for just the Bakken and Three Forks wells. Continue reading “North Dakota oil production hits another record, approaching 1 million barrels per day”

(Cross-posted from my other blog, Nonprofit Update.)

Tech tools available today make it easy for a novice to create usable videos. No one will confuse what you create with what comes out of Hollywood or Madison Avenue, but it won’t cost thousands of dollars per minute of content either.

To show how easy it is, I’ve accumulated several of my videos and briefly discussed them on my other blog, Outrun Change:

• Why am I posting airplane videos on this blog?
• Airplane flyby videos – 1 of 2
• Airplane flyover videos – 2 of 2
• 2 animated cartoons illustrate the ease of making cartoons

Here is my most popular video, with over 3,600 views:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qeibzgSemY]

Making videos is incredibly easy. I hope my simple efforts will encourage you to try it yourself.

Keep in mind I’m working with a point-and-shoot camera, have zero editing experience, and possess a level of creatively that is only slightly higher than the average accountant.

Equipment that is not cheapest on the market, some minimal experience, and measurable levels of creativity combined with the astounding tools available today would result in great video for your organization.

Jump in, the water’s fine!

(Cross-post from my other blog, Attestation Update.)

I’m confused by the reports that JP Morgan is close to settling most of the claims against the bank by the federal government in return for a payment of $13,000,000,000.

On one hand…

There are several parts of the long list of Morgan scandals that fully justify punishment, in my opinion. Consider manipulating Libor or prices in the energy market as just two examples.

Since the options of either public flogging or liberal application of feathers preceded by tar are not possible with a corporation, a decent fine would be a good start.

Continue reading “Scratching my head over that $13 billion settlement”

(Cross-post from my other blog, Attestation Update, with minor changes)

Seth Godin has a new piece called “Post….“

If you read his article or my comments and don’t immediately understand the point, you have a serious gap in your awareness of the radical changes taking place around us.

He lists 14 things that are now in the past, such as: Continue reading “The rules have all changed”

The Houston Chronicle has a nice photo shoot of fracking operations underway in Colorado. You can find it here.

Great shots.

(Hat tip: tweet from BakkenBlog News)

With the ground in Williston this morning having a sandwich of freezing rain underneath with a lot of snow in the middle and sleet on top along with many of the interstates closed in western North Dakota, I think I’ll really enjoy my warm-because-the-furnace-is-running-occassionally, dry, bright accounting office in Southern California with a rare, light drizzle outside.

I’d rather wear a short sleeve shirt instead of ear protection, long johns and a parka underneath slickers for a 12 hour shift. Our economy will thrive because of the great teams that are willing to do that. Thanks guys and gals.