Power Demand in the Tennessee Valley

The Tennessee valley is currently facing the highest temperatures of the year so far. Highs in the 90's, heat index expected to reach over 105, its not a comfortable place to be. Granted other places are hotter, but in Tennessee as in much of the southeast, the humidity is the deal breaker. Air so humid, so unmoving it takes your breath away at times.

The first part of the year was the driest in over 118 years. Due to this heat, hydro generation is down over 54% of normal, and the rivers, reservoirs and lakes are well below average. Hydro is TVA's cheapest form of generation, and having this cut in half may make them buy more expensive power from elsewhere.

It is expected that the current heat wave ( which is expected to last the next week or longer ) could possible task TVA's system. It is projected to exceed the record setting of 31,703 megawatts, set in July 2005. During that record setting, they provided power without a single interruption to clients. Will this year be any different? Will they be able to meet the demand with hydro down?

Currently to supply power, TVA uses Fossil Fuel plants ( 15,000 megawatts of capacity ), Nuclear ( 6,900 megawatts ), Hydro ( which varies based on water ) and Green power ( solar and wind). With water levels down, hardly any air moving for wind generation, TVA will have to rely on their other plants, and possibly buy more expensive power from other generation groups.

TVA has a good solid record, and there is no reason to believe they cannot handle this upcoming demand. However, everybody needs to do their part to conserve while they can. Don't water your yard, wash your car, or fill your pools during the heat of the day. Keep your thermostat above 71 degrees, keep your windows and doors shut, invest in a programmable thermostat, use energy efficient appliances and light bulbs, take showers not baths, and many other little things we can do to conserve energy.

Preview 2007 HOG Rally

Knoxville TN is going to be hosting the 2007 Club HOG downhome rally this year on August 24th and 25th at Chilhowee Park. This event will bring riders from all over the country to Knoxville, and includes many activities. Montgomery Gentry is scheduled to be there on their bikes as will many other bands. There will be stunt shows, demonstrations, and a preview of the 2008 HD. One of the big draws will be Saturday August the 25th in the Maryville shop. They are preparing to do a world record burnout. 100's of motorcycles lined up, smoking the tires at the same time. Registration is required and can be completed every Saturday from 1-4. The Kentucky Headhunters will be performing live after the burnout.

While in town, if bored of the activities, be sure and check out a few other local attractions. If night life and country music is your cup of tea, be sure and check out Cotton Eyed Joes in West Knoxville, conveniently located behind the West Knoxville Harley Davidson store. A ride through the mountains is a must do as well. All though it would be better later in the fall, it is still beautiful and majestic this time of year.

Also, if so inclined one should make the trip to the Dragon, a harrowing series of switchback curves that draws riders from all over the world. Not for the weak at heart. It used to be much better; however, Tennessee Highway patrol is attempting to make an effort to slow down the riders.

East Tennessee plays host to many motorcycle groups through out the year, most notably the Honda Hoot. The hospitality, easy access to mountains and lakes, and good food make East Tennessee a prime spot for such gatherings.

Warcraft Expansion Wrath of the Lich king

A snapshot has been leaked from Blizzcon showing that the next expansion will be called Wrath of the Lich king, Level cap to 80, Deathknight as the new class, character customization, new weapons and armor, new PvP battlegrounds, siege weapons, and more. Will be updated as more information is released.

Edit 1: The official website is now up and open! Click here to check it out.

Identity Theft

Identity theft

Identity theft is always on the rise by people who think nothing of stealing your identity and hard earned money to better themselves. Why would a person do this, and what can be done to protect yourself?

There are some people who are just lazy and have no morals. They spend more time and energy getting out of work, and trying to find ways to avoid work then the normal person does working. They dumpster dive, intercept mail, setup online scam sites, phish, and even hack networks.

One of the more popular ways to steal your identity or scam you is with a phish attempt. An email arrives supposedly from your bank or credit card, asking you to login in and update your personal information. The link looks legit, even the email is formatted in the correct format. You follow the link and see what appears to be your banks website. After your login, you come to a page that still looks somewhat official, but notice there is some questions being asked that make you feel uneasy. Questions such as your check/credit card number, your pin number, and your social security number. Unless you are aware of this a lot of people simply enter the information, click submit and go on their merry way, completely unaware that somebody now has their information. How to spot these? What protection can you use? Firefox will inform you if the website you are on appears to be a phish attempt; I believe IE does as well. But some things to remember, if your bank/financial institution are asking you for your card number, pin number, password, or social, never, ever give it online. Odds are it is a scam.

When you click the link, examine the address in the bar very closely, unless it matches your financial institute of question, do not continue. Contact them by the phone number listed on your card, inform them of what is going on, and ask if you can forward them the email. They take this very seriously.

Dumpster diving and trash sniffing is another popular way to get your information, but it is so easy to protect against this. The sad thing is most people do not do it. Buy a shredder that cross-cut shred. A quick Google search will turn up makers of these products. Cross shredding is more efficient then normal shredding. And when you shred a document, put your hand in the trash and stir it around to further disorient the scraps. What should be shredded? You should shred everything that comes in your mail box, old credit cards, statements, credit card offers, and basically anything with your name or address on it. It takes minutes to do this, and offers lots of protection to you and your identity. When mailing bills, or anything with personal information, don’t use your roadside mailbox. Take it either to the post office, or a big blue postal drop off. This reduces the risk of somebody intercepting your outgoing mail with checks or personal information as well.

As technology improves so will the need for vigilance and increased identity security. Thieves and scammers always look for new ways to steal your money, but by being wary of everything, following these tips for protection, and learning more about identity theft, you can reduce the risk of falling victim to these financial predators.

Deathknights and the Lich King

Some serious sleuthing is going on in anticipation of the World of Warcraft Expansion. The EU website has been theoretically mined to find the FaQ for the new expansion, and clever sleuths uncovered the patent for the title "Wrath of the Lich King"

So far it is suspected that the level cap will be raised to 80, players will get to invade Northrend, as reported here, Deathknight will be a hero class( which will more then likely cater to hard core raiders), a new profession, and of course new rep grinds, new mount money grinds, and new dungeons. On the PvP side of things, siege engines and destroyable objectives.

In my opinion, we will also see new talents, possible reworks of the current talent tree to avoid overpowerness, new mounts, new dungeons, etc etc.

The introduction of the hero class does imply some serious implications. First and foremost, will there be a limit? If it is anything like previous blizzard titles, anybody with enough time can make it. Sure it will be prestigious in the beginning, but after that, it will be common place. Of course if it is too hard, people will complain, too easy people will complain.

Balancing the talent trees will be difficult, as blizzard found out last patch. They promised the 41 point talents would be so strong, nobody would go for a 31/30 build. They were wrong. several classes have lackluster 41 point talents.

This will also bring about lots of PvP balance issues. It is only hoped that serious players get Beta invite and can iron out a lot of the balance issues before live.

Beginning a Relationship

Technically this relationship advice should have been written before my other one, but sometimes the words just have to flow when they do. Starting a relationship is difficult for many men, and for women as well. Worries about is she the one, will this work, what will my friends/parents think, will we get married? Many questions go through a mans head, and sometimes it shows in how we treat that new Ms. Right. As hard as it is, don't focus or dwell on this stuff.

Sometimes when you meet someone, you get that feeling that maybe she isn't our type. If that is the case, be honest with her. Women don't mind being told there is no spark, they may be hurt but in the long run they will respect you for being honest and upfront with them, instead of dragging on something, or worse, seeing somebody else at the same time. On the flip side, sometimes you will feel something, they won't and they let you know. Take it like a man, say thank you for your honesty and move on. Don't stalk them or call them all the time and try and change their mind.

A lot of time people meet online first. Be it through matchmaker, e-harmony, yahoo, or myspace, a lot of first impressions come from your online presence. When you meet, depending on how you portray yourself online, they will either be pleased, or disappointed. Be honest in your online presence. Its easy to pretend you are something or somebody you are not, but no relationship should be built from the ground up based on a lie.

Regardless of how or where you meet, when you experience that first magic date, and you both have a good night together, be sure and call her, text her, email her, IM her, or however you decide to communicate next. One of the nicer things you can do, is as soon as you drop her off, go home, log on, find a online card service( I use 123greetings.com) and send her a cute funny e-card. When she logs into her email, she will have something from you there waiting on her. Be sure and call her if you say you will. Don't make her wait for your call. Don't play hard to get or indifferent. If the date goes very well, nail down a second date within 5 days time, to show her you are interested. If she won't commit to a second date, she may need to think about it and discuss with her friends.

Above all else, be honest with her, and yourself. You may hurt her by being honest and telling her that you don't think it will work, but not as much as you will by leading her on, letting her become more attached, then breaking up when you find somebody else. We don't like to be lead on, neither do women. Always ask yourself how you would feel if somebody did it to you.

Relationships are tricky, and getting started in one is hard, especially with two different personalities that don't know or understand the other yet. Always be honest, always follow through on your commitments, and always be upfront.

Relationship tips for men

Okay guys, we all have wondered at one time or another, what’s it take to have a good relationship? Hopefully I can help some of you struggling fellows out a bit.

Woman are mysterious, strong, soft, weak, compassionate, caring, thoughtful, delicate and many other emotions, usually all at the same time. Men, well, we just are what we are. We get confused when they cry, laugh, get mad, scream and sleep. It’s a basic difference between men and women. Some things you can do to help your woman and make her think she is the best and only person in your life. This is of course directed to men in a relationship.

Pay attention to her. This is the number one thing you can do. If she is talking, don’t be text messaging a friend, watching sports, playing games, or reading. Give her your undivided attention. And keep that thought running through your head out of there, it will show up in your eyes. Make eye contact with her. Gently lay your hand on her arm or leg to let her know you are focused completely on her. It makes her feel that she is worth your time and attention.

Do thing with her that she wants to do. She goes with you to sporting events, the latest action flicks, your sports bars, your greasy restaurants. Go with her where she wants. See a movie she wants to see. Maybe *gasp* get dressed up and go to a nice restaurant. Go for a quite walk in a park, by the lake, in a flower garden. During this time, turn your cell phone off, or on silent, hold her hand, look at her. Listen to what she says, and reply in full sentences instead of monosyllable words.

Compliment her, but don’t over do it. Don’t use the standard, “you are hot” or other cheesy lines. Pick out something specific. If you watch her get ready, see what she spends the most time working on, and compliment that. Compliment her hair, shoes, clothes. Tell her she is beautiful. Look in her eyes when you say this and maintain eye contact. Never complain about how long it takes her to get ready. She is doing it for you.

Having other female friends is not necessarily a no-no, but if you do have any make sure your woman knows about them. If they want to meet for dinner/lunch, always, always, always make sure your woman is invited. This is a touchy subject, some women want no other woman talking to her man, others don’t mind as long as they are included in every aspect of your friendship as well.

If anything is remembered from reading this, remember this. When you have a woman, and she is everything to you, make sure she knows it. Don’t take her for granted, cause somebody else out there will show her what you can’t, and you will be without your everything.