Video Blog Week, Day 2!

Dont' forget, it is still video blog week on Greg's Video Blog.

This episode is a crazy backpack trip to the Little Sur River.

Check it out!

Video Blog Week!

In celebration of Vloggercon 06, I have decided to make this "Video Blog Week" on my vlog, Greg's Video Blog. I am not sure if I am going to vloggercon, but I thought I would post about it anyway.

My first video is about my Veggie Car. I was invited by David Dudas, co-founder of eyespot.com to be a part of a "Mobile Vlogger Team" or something like that, and create a vlog just using a cameraphone and the mixing tools on their site.

With all that said, and all the name dropping and plugging of the site eyespot.com, I am not sure if I like the video. Cameraphones are great and all but the quality is poor. I think they should only be used to capture breaking stories when a video blogger has no other tools.

While poor quality, I hope you find it to find it interesting and informative.

Did I peak your interest? Well, then click here to view the video

New DSL= Lordi, Lordi, Lordi.

I just got DSL for the first time ever. I really like it. Dial up was very slow. Now, I get to watch videos on-line! I still have not found a videoblog that I really, really, like. I however, posted a new vlog on my video blog page.

So anyway, I was playing with my new DSL, checking out YouTube. I happened to see the video for the newest sensation from Finland, Lordi! These guys make Gwar look like The Cure. I guess they just won some kind of show in Europe or something. There were a bunch of videos posted on YouTube from the show Eurovision that is playing right now.

I did not really like Lordi, but their costumes and makeup are pretty crazy. Actually, the audience was the craziest, waving the flags and whatnot. It looked like some kind of soccer game or something.

But really this post is about trying to get on the Lordi bandwagon and pimp some traffic from Technorati. Oh, and also to plug my video blog page.

Technorati Tags: Lordi Eurovision vlog

Spreading myself too thin?

Ok, it seems I have not posted in a week, so it is time for a post.

Well, I have not posted at this particular blog, but, if you have been checking out my videoblog page, you will see that I have been posting there.

Now that I have the video blog page, it is so much more fun to create posts over there than just typing, like I do here, so this page is a bit laggy (is that a word?)

Also, it is fun to add music to the video posts, even though I am sure I will get "busted" sometime by the RIAA or something. I guess if I don't use Metalica music, Lars won't come after me and I will be ok.

Another reason I have not posted is that I was out of town in Minneapolis Minnesota for a short vacation.

Minneapolis is a pretty hip city, for being in the Midwest. They have the world's largest spoon there. The spoon is really a sculpture that is in the Minneapolis sculpture garden, outside the Walker Art Center. The Walker Art Center was very cool, with lots of modern art. I like modern art, even if it is a bit strange sometimes. Anyway, the Walker has a good collection and if you ever go to Minneapolis, you should check it out.

Minneapolis also has the World's Largest Mall, the Mall of America. I did not think the mall was that big, even though it employs close to 12,000 people. The "footprint" of the mall did not seem any bigger than other malls I have been to, but the deal is that it is four stories high. That is where it gets you.

All and all, it is good to be home.

If you want to see images from the trip, you will have to go to my video blog, as I will be posting video from Minneapolis this week.

Technorati Tags: Walker Art Center World's Largest Spoon Minneapolis

OK, oil 'er up

I was informed by many folks of the article in the San Jose Mercury News today about a Veggie Oil story.

I read it and found it somewhat confusing. I really had a problem with one line that said..."All she needed was a biodiesel conversion kit she had installed for about $700."

See, there is no such thing as an onboard biodiesel conversion kit, unless of course you make a large trailer to drag along with you.

Sheesh, more wrong information provided by the "NEWS".

Anyway, I emailed the author of the story, Mike Cassidy and let him know that he got his facts wrong.

Well, to make a long story short, he ended up changing the on-line copy to this...

"All she needed was a veggie-oil conversion kit she had installed for about $700."

Yeah, progress!

So, in conclusion, it is not a "Conspiracy of Disinformation" at all, but just that a reporter got confused by all the jargon.

Good job Mike! We all appreciate the effort in trying to get it right, because you gotta spread the news about the veggie oil.

Don't believe that he changed the story because of me? Well, here is a transcipt from the email string...


-------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry the story wasn't clear to you.
Good point on the "biodiesel conversion'' line. I was trying to carefully
distinguish among biodiesel, vegetable oil and waste oil throughout the
piece, but took my eye off the ball on that particular phrase.
She has one tank. I can understand why that's an important detail to you.
I'm not so sure it's important to the majority of readers.
I think I deserve at least a C, but I'm biased.
Cheers,
Mike

Mike Cassidy
Columnist
San Jose Mercury News
408-920-5536


-----Original Message-----
From: gregory@surfnetusa.com [mailto:gregory@surfnetusa.com]
Sent: Friday, May 12, 2006 9:11 AM
To: mcassidy@mercurynews.com
Cc: gregory@surfnetusa.com
Subject: OK, OIL 'ER UP- comments


Hi.

I just read your article on "OK, OIL 'ER UP".

It seems that you got your facts wrong. I think you need to do some more
research.

See, I too drive a veggie benz over the hill from Santa Cruz to SJ everyday.

The problem that most reporters have (I have yet to see any of the media get
it right) is that they mix the terms "biodiesel" and "Vegetable Oil". These
are two completely different things. You mixed up the terms yourself in the
article...

" All she needed was a biodiesel conversion kit she had installed for about
$700."

What is should have said was... "All she needed was a veggie oil conversion
kit she had installed for about $700." Or "Waste Vegetable Oil" or
"Vegetable Oil" or "WVO". ANYTHING is better than using the term
"biodiesel" when mentioning the conversion kit. This just confuses people.
I know, because I talk to folks all the time about my veggie car and the
general public never has the correct facts.

Also, you did not mention if she had a "one tank" or "two tank" conversion.
I am guessing that she had a two tank conversion, since you keep mentioning
biodiesel and WVO. However, I will never know since you did not bother to
give out the correct facts.

But hey, I give you an "A" for effort, but a "D" for execution.

Also, I thank you, because now I have something to blog about. It will go
nicely with my post about "Darly Hannah, disinformation agent"

(http://feltonjamhouse.blogspot.com/2006/05/daryl-hannah-disinformation-agen
t.html#links)

Anyway, just thought I would let you know my thoughts on the matter.

Thanks for your time.

Greg.

P.S. While I was writing this email, I got a call from a friend (hybrid
driver) who just read the article and was complaining to me about how it was
not very clear to him either.

*I also got this reply from Mike*

...we've corrected the column on the Web. If you link to it from your blog,
you might want to note that.

Mike Cassidy
Columnist
San Jose Mercury News
408-920-5536

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Technorati Tags: Veggie Car Biodiesel Mike Cassidy

The Price of Gas

Gas Price.jpg

I saw this today when I was going to work. I stoped off to get a few gallons for the Veggie Car and this is what was on the pump.

I just had to take a picture. I have not seen the gas tank price this high in a long time.

I have seen a pump get to $100 before, but it was usually out in the desert at some kind of truck stop or something.

Somebody had a great Monday morning...

Technorati Tags: Veggie Car Price of Gas

My New Video Blog Page!

Ok all you loyal readers. (Are there any loyal readers?)

I now have a video blog! It is called Greg's Video Blog.

I have even made a new video entry for you to view.

Surfing at Steamers Lane, Redwoods at Fall Creek and a Jimi Hendrix song too.

You must go now and view it.

Click here to view my Video Blog!

Daryl Hannah, Disinformation Agent?

So,I was reading this article the other day about Daryl Hannah and her biodiesel El Camino.

First of all, I did not know that there was any such thing as a diesel El Camino. Then I googled it and found that yes, they were made from 1982-1984.

Ok, so that part of her story checks out.

The article on sfgate was talking about Daryl drinking biodiesel, so I watched her "Video Blog" about it. You can see it here.

Yes, she does drink the biodiesel. Not a big swig, but a little taste, so that part of her story checks out.

The problem I did have was with some of the definitions she used. For one, she called her car a VEGGIE car. Ok, she does not drive a VEGGIE car. I drive a veggie car. Daryl drives a El Camino that is powered by biodiesel. There is a huge difference.

A veggie car runs on straight (or waste) vegetable oil. There is no conversion of the fuel needed, but you do have to do some modifications to your car. Therefore a veggie car is much better for the environment than a regular biodiesel.

Why you ask?

See, another thing Daryl fails to mention in her video, is that to convert vegetable oil to biodiesel, you need to use a chemical that is kind of nasty. This chemical is called Methanol, and it is poisonous. Also, I have no idea on how "dirty" the manufacturing process is for methanol, but I am sure the factory that makes it puts stuff into the environment.

Another misrepresentation she makes is that it is easy to make the biodiesel out of waste vegetable oil. Well, she does not really say it is easy, but she does not explain the process, and that leaves the viewer with the impression that this is no big deal.

Well, it probably is no big deal to Daryl, since she buys the stuff from "Her Friend" (who we see in the video blog). Daryl does not have to go and collect the waste veggie oil, nor did she make a backyard still to brew it, nor did she ever have to come in contact with the raw methanol.

All she does is buy biodiesel from someone else that makes it.

Big whoop-de-do. What you want, a cookie?

However, by not explaining the process and making the distinctions between biodiesel and the use of waste vegetable oil (WVO), she ends up muddying the concept.

Muddying a concept, so the public becomes confused on the subject is also known as disinformation.

That girl has to get her facts straight.

Technorati Tags: Veggie Car Biodiesel Daryl Hannah

Day without an Immigrant.

Well, today is a "Day without an Immigrant". Seems like there is much protesting about. I think the solution is pretty easy...

Make a very easy "Guest Worker Pass" type thing, that is very easy for anyone to get. If you have a Guest Worker pass, you pay %5 more in taxes than citizens. This pass has to be "reviewed" every year. This review process consists of seeing if the owner of the Guest Worker pass has gotten in trouble with the law. If they are in trouble with the law, no more Guest Worker pass.

See, who wants to have to cross the desert, just to get to work. Therefore people stay here, even when there is no work. If they had a pass where they could go home and then come back easily, then people would go home and there would be less migrants hanging out, since they could just go home.

Then once it was easy to get the Guest Worker Pass, then you would bump up enforcement. You would make it legal for local police to turn over illegal immigrants to the INS for deporting.

Seems easy to me.

Anyway, here is a video of the immigration protest from last week that took place in San Jose. I have added "Flight of the Doodles" by Tennessee Ernie Ford. I don't know what this video is supposed to "mean", but I submit it to you anyway...



Technorati Tags: Day without an immigrant Immigration Videoblog