American homes decorated with outdoor Christmas lights is a tradition many of us enjoy. Either as a cocoa-sipping drive-around spectator or as an amateur Christmas decorating and light artist.
In a sense it is a microcosm of the good American experience.
Some people spend much time and a good sum of money on their decorations and the resulting electric bill. Their only return on investment is the joy it brings to others. Some people have donation boxes which aid local charities. There are folks experimenting with LED lights in order to save on power bills. The artistic make many of their own display items, such as characters and scenes. There are those which choreograph music with their lights and broadcast it over a local FM Transmitter.
Individual Americans being creative and charitable.
Merry Christmas!
(Bah! Humbug! to the politically correct among us.)
December 24th, 2008 | American Ingenuity, Good Bad Ugly
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PROBLEM:
Airlines were interested in deploying aircraft with increased efficiency due to increasing petroleum prices.
SOLUTION:
The Boeing 787, developed to be at least 20% more fuel-efficient than the airliners it will replace. The majority of the efficiency improvements will come from increased use of significantly lighter and stronger composite materials, improved aerodynamics, and the latest in turbofan engine technology.
For those technically inclined, a big boost to efficiency is the new electric architecture of the aircraft which uses electrically powered compressors and pumps instead of bleed air and hydraulic power. Also, by volume, 80% of the airliner will be made with composite materials.
October 3rd, 2008 | American Ingenuity
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PROBLEM:
The U.S. team lost the last three Ryder Cups and the last five of six. It was also without the benefit of the world’s top ranked player, injured Tiger Woods. (The Ryder cup competition is biennial between a team of professional golfers from the United States and from Europe.)
SOLUTION:
As is the custom, the U.S. Ryder Cup captain is a former PGA Tour player. This year the honor went to Paul Azinger. Mr. Azinger decided to work outside the box. He applied a team structure based upon military Special Forces/Navy Seals units. Instead of the usual organization of one large 12-player team, Mr. Azinger utilized three four-player cells. Each cell had players with common personalities or playing styles. The second major modification Mr. Azinger introduced was utilizing a corporate team-building consultant to help assemble the cells and then motivate them.
The United States won the Ryder Cup, played September 19-21. The final points total was 16 1/2 to 11 1/2.
September 30th, 2008 | American Ingenuity, Thrill of Victory
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PROBLEM:
Automotive vehicles (cars, trucks, motorcycles, SUVs, crossovers, and limos for liberals) run on gasoline (and corn). The price of both has gone up. A lot.
SOLUTION:
Ford Motor Company has developed an engine technology they call EcoBoost. It applies advanced turbocharging with direct injection technologies. The result is increased fuel efficiency (about 20 percent) and reduced emissions (about 15 percent) without impacting drivability.
August 25th, 2008 | American Ingenuity
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It is bizarre some people demonize Big Oil and the American auto industry (you know who you are). Those industries gave life to those very same critics. This may sound kooky, but facts are facts.
Without Henry Ford and his Model T and the oil companies that put gas into those 15 million horseless carriages most of us would not be here. Never born. Our parents, grandparents, maybe even great grandparents would have never met without the early automobile and the oil to make them run. Before the Model T, many Americans never traveled more than 50 miles from where they were born. How would a girl from Indiana meet a boy from Pennsylvania under those circumstances?
August 15th, 2008 | American Ingenuity, Hug a Prius
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PROBLEM:
Between 1995 and 2005 the number of hospital emergency departments dropped over nine percent in the United States. During that same period, visits to hospital emergency rooms increased by 20 percent. Average wait time also increased from about 38 minutes in 1997 to 56 minutes in 2006. The typical bill for treatment is over $1,000.
SOLUTION:
Private sector walk-in urgent-care clinics. More than 8,000 of them. Wait times are just a few minutes. Depending upon the procedure the typical bill is $60 to $200.
August 7th, 2008 | American Ingenuity, Good Bad Ugly
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