The Epi-Depression

I haven't seen any soup lines yet, but if the unemployment numbers keep growing like they have this week, it's only a short matter of time before it comes to this. This morning I was reading about the Great Depression on the web. There are a number of good webpages with interesting information about that period in our history. The thing that scares me is that it reads much like what is going on now.

The Great Depression lasted about 1o years, and during that time the unemployment rate peaked at 25% and never dropped below 14%. We are definitely headed in that direction. An interesting fact is that back then, many rich people felt no impact, and about 40% of Americans never faced any serious hardship. I presume it will be the same this time around. Ten years is a long time and we are just getting started. So far, I have lost 25 percent of my retirement fund, received no Christmas bonus for 2008, have been asked to work less hours each week, and will get no raise in 2009. Not to mention that interest rates on CD's are now down to less than 3 percent.

I'm calling this thing an Epi-Depression, because I'm hoping that it won't last as long as the Great Depression. For those that have lost their jobs this week, it doesn't matter what you call it. It's real and it's here. Hopefully the lessons of the past will shorten the pain this time around.

PSP 3000 Review

We've had a Sony PSP model 1001 for at least four years now, and I was trying to decide if upgrading to the new 3000 model was worth it. I like the fact that Sony has been releasing firmware updates for this game system, but I wasn't sure if the lighter, brighter, faster hardware was worth spending more money on. After doing some research, I found out that the new model had component video output, allowing you to see the games on your TV monitor. Actually, my girlfriend purchased the cable before she realized that it wouldn't work on her old PSP. So, after much consideration, I bought the new one so we could try the cable.

I wasn't using the component video input on my TV, so I connected the new PSP component video cable to that. I purchased a component video coupler at Radio Shack to extend the 8 foot cable from Sony. This allows us to sit on the couch and play the PSP while watching the game or movie on the big screen. Be aware that your TV must support progressive scan and you need the component (5 plug) cable to play games. The composite (3 plug) cable will not let you see games on your TV. Also, UMD movies play full screen, but the games only fill about 60% of the screen. It's still pretty cool to see your game on a bigger screen.

I do have a few gripes about the PSP, mainly the web browser's limited usefulness. The version of flash that it supports is older than most content you can find on the web. I also don't like how Sony keeps things so locked down, preventing open source developers from creating games and useful applications for the device. The list of things the PSP can do is impressive, but it could do so much more, if Sony only allowed it. They seem to like giving us little tid bits at a time.

2009 Goals and Predictions

I just took a look back at the blog post I made for my 2008 goals and realized that I actually accomplished a few things this past year. The biggest one was publishing In a Sense of Love. It was a great personal achievement, but in the sea of new books that get self-published each year, it largely went unnoticed.

The second goal that I accomplished was launching the Midwest Machine Shop Network. So far it has not attracted the interest that I thought it would. It looks like I will have to populate the machine shop list myself, before anyone will find value in visiting the site. The next goal then for the MMSN will be to create the database and populate it with all known Midwest machine shops.

Interest in my girlfriend's student loan story has been steady. Each month the site receives hundreds of visitors from dozens of countries. We were able to resolve the loan this past year, but I will leave the pages up for all those who are looking for answers to their own problem student loans. Student loans have hurt our economy just as much as the home loan crisis, but you're never going to hear about that, or a student loan bailout, any time soon.

My goals for 2009 are similar to last year's. I am busy editing my girlfriend's next book, "Curse of the Lost Tribe" and we are also developing a plot for the sequel to "In a Sense of Love". I also have plans to complete my book about the early days of online gaming, a project I've been playing around with for some time now. I'm going to put even more effort into writing and editing in the coming year, and less on the web design business. I believe there is greater revenue potential in developing ad supported web sites. You just have to have content that people are looking for.

My predictions going into 2009 are somewhat pessimistic. If the economy doesn't get better by the end of March, there could be another round of depressing employment news. I think we will continue to hear more about alternative energy technologies. Any technology that has the potential to save us time, money, or natural resources will be big in 2009. One last thing that could make a huge difference for many Americans: allow working adults and small business owners to enroll in an affordable, State managed, health care plan. Good luck with all that!