October 2012

There were 80 posts published in October 2012 (this is page 7 of 8).

ABB lights up Marbles with $1 million donation

I meant to say something about this yesterday because it’s so chock full of awesomeness. Power grid giant ABB is donating $1 million to Marbles Kids Museum to build an interactive power grid play area for kids. When I told my kids about these plans this morning, their eyes lit up like a solar farm at full sun.

Bravo, ABB, and congratulations Marbles! (Oh, and hey ABB: we’d love to have you in downtown Raleigh, too!)

Global engineering firm ABB, which builds electricity grids and designs utility equipment, is donating $1 million to Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh to develop an interactive play area that will let tykes pretend they are operating wind farms and power plants and lighting up neighborhoods.

ABB officials said the donation symbolizes the Triangle’s emerging reputation as a national smart-grid hub known for attracting research, startups and federal grants. ABB, which employs 2,000 people in North Carolina, made the initial payment of $100,000 Wednesday. ABB will also contribute equipment, including motors, towers, cables, transformers and control systems.

The exhibit is scheduled to open to the public in 2014 and shows interest in downtown investment by a global conglomerate that does not have a downtown presence.

via ABB lights up Marbles with $1 million donation – Local/State – NewsObserver.com.

AWOL on last night’s debate

I’ve been flying solo with the kids for most of this week as my lovely and talented wife was away for business. She’s back now but while she was gone I had my hands full with kid duties. As such didn’t feel compelled to turn on the TV during last night’s debates. Yeah, as much as I like politics I didn’t even watch. I didn’t think I’d learn anything about the candidates that I didn’t already know.

I suppose this is how the majority of voters probably feel. With as much as people hate all the negative advertising being pushed by political consultants, it takes a special kind of person to willingly tune into watch more blood-boiling political scrapping.

From the reviews I’ve read, though, I wasn’t the only one AWOL from last night’s debate. In addition to the truth and the moderator, our president apparently didn’t feel the need to show up. Obama must not have read my critique of his speaking skills because it seems Professor Obama showed up in President Obama’s place. It takes a royal screw-up on Obama’s part to make Mitt Romney look like the human one.

I agree with some pundits’ opinion that most folks have made up their mind by now. Some say that debates mean little in the long run. Still, Obama wants to hang on to his job he’d better show more fire from here on out.

SiriusXM’s awesome customer support


I have been enjoying a 6-month deal from Sirius XM to keep my satellite radio running but that deal runs out tomorrow. I called SirusXM to find out what the cost was to renew it or if I should cancel. It turns out the same 6 months for $25 is still in effect, so I was easily able to renew. What’s even better is that it was almost free for me as I had a $21 balance on my account.

To get my radio renewed I had to wade briefly through a voice-response system, which I detest. As soon as I’d selected the “cancel” option, though, I was connected with Sally, a woman with a Midwestern accent in SirusXM’s Listener Care department. Sally had just the right amount of small talk and business, chatting about her dirty glasses before finding my information. Her folksiness conveyed readily over the phone and I never heard any apologies for “slow computers” or other excuses. In short, I can tell Sally loves her job and I have no qualms spending more money with SiriusXM. Heck, she almost had me ready to buy the company’s higher-priced service.

In an age when many companies outsource their call center operations and treat customer care as an afterthought, I was delighted to discover SiriusXM treats its customers right. Outstanding job, SiriusXM!

Another Romney Facebook hacking victim speaks up


I received this response today on a post from another blog about Mitt Romney’s Facebook hacking (emphasis mine):

I told my husband that I have been seeing friends of his that we KNOW would never vote for Romney “like” him on facebook. We are discussing this while family is visiting and then my husbands father tells me that he saw I had “liked” Romney on facebook a couple of weeks ago. I would know if I had done this. I would rather eat a hand full of stink bugs. I do not like this one bit.

Your transaction abilities were suspended

Zonkers! My transaction abilities were suspended, according to this breathless email I just got, straight from the Secutity Department of the FDIC!! I do all my corporated and business banking with the FDIC and now I can’t!!! I guess I should try to save and install the newest installations, by browsing this link!!1!!!

Oh, thank you Secutity Department, for watching out for me!1!!1!!eleven!!

Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2012 14:49:11 +0200
From: “FDIC” cautiono@yhbia.com
To: markt at markissupercoolbutthisisnthisemailaddress.edu
Subject: Your transaction abilities were suspended

Your Corporated and Business Banking
Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation

Your ACH & Wire transaction abilities have been temporarily disabled in order to ensure your security, because of the expiration of your security version. Please save and install the newest installations, by browsing this link.

As soon as update being installed, your account entire features will be completely restored.
Faithfully yours, Secutity Department, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Broadie Tata fired by Wake County school board | Parents Across America

Here’s another look at Tony Tata’s firing. I have to say as likable as the General is, I think his lack of experience in education was one of his biggest flaws.

I’m hoping the board can find a Bill McNeal type to be the new superintendent.

It is telling that the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Wake County Tax Payer’s Association, Wake County Republican Party, and Tea Party members of the BOE are supporting Tata. They are calling the firing a partisan distraction. Nonsense. First, a vote along party lines isn’t necessarily a partisan vote, and not all partisan decisions are necessarily bad decisions. Second, how is it a “distraction” to ensure WCPSS has a qualified, effective superintendent?

via Broadie Tata fired by Wake County school board | Parents Across America.

Mark Turner: Horse sense – Letters – NewsObserver.com

My letter to the editor ran in today’s N&O.

Horse sense

Contrary to what the N.C. GOP would have you believe, you won’t find any horses on Raleigh’s 80 miles of beautiful greenways. What you will find are citizens of all political stripes appreciating one of Raleigh’s more popular and unique amenities.

While the N.C.GOP has backed off a bit for implying Sig Hutchinson “raised taxes” (which is, um, interesting as he’s never held public office before), it has not apologized for insulting our city by calling greenways “horse trails.”

(Looks like they didn’t fix my typo, where I wrote “support” instead of “supported.” Oh well.)

via Mark Turner: Horse sense – Letters – NewsObserver.com.