The Die is Cast

The Rubicon is crossed, etc. All those classical metaphors. I just hope I don't end up with a knife in my back, ala Big Julie (cue Wayne and Schuster....)

Ordered the new iMac this morning. Given my attitude toward spending money, this qualifies as major trauma. Yes, I know, it's a business expense, tax deductible and all that. And it's not as if I actually _see_ the money, like in dollar bills leaving my hands. They're all just numbers, either on the credit card bill or my checkbook.

Waaah!

Will wait a bit for this to wear off before I make the DSL move...

Musings on the supply chain

Maine now sees the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak, on a propane pinch. See, most of the state doesn't have access to piped natural gas, so people use propane for home heating, industrial processes, and restaurant cooking. Well, most of the gas comes via Canada, via rail, and Canada just had this little "job action" on the railroad...

Few people realize how little reserve "the system" offers in most basic supplies. Our whole economy, not just manufacturing, relies on "just in time" deliveries.

Off on a tangent, some bright entrepreneur just built a gazillion acres of greenhouse space in central Maine, devoted to growing vine-ripened tomatoes in the dead of winter for the fresh vegetable trade. We have tried them. They seem to be actual food -- tough, to survive handling, but with flavor, and sour rather than bitter. The target market, of course, is Boston, not Podunk Hollow. Still...

Jeez

If I'd known that my decision to spend money (urk!) would have that much effect on the market, I'da sold some stocks short yesterday.