Technologically Challenged

Being a part of the baby boom generation (I'm in the middle), it goes without saying that for the most part I am technologically challenged. Having just gotten familiar with the iPod, is it now time for the iPhone?

As Americans, we have come to expect rapid technological changes since that has been the pattern for our lifetimes. I for one rarely buy the latest gadget, but wait for the market to absorb it a bit and to allow time to get the kinks out. By the time I'm ready to buy, things have become a real bargain.

I've noticed that my sons have a short attentions span with new technology. The Playstation 3 purchased with such enthusiasm a few months ago, now sits idle. Good thing we didn't get the Xbox 360!

But technology has been a great tool for me as an entrepreneur. It's amazing what one or two people can do in a business that would have taken 8-10 people 20 years ago. Most of this is possible because of technology and especially the internet. Oh, and PayPal helps too!

TPS-The District of (Limited) Choice

This smiling group of elected volunteers, continues to perpetuate the myth that is public education in Tulsa Oklahoma.

Having made good on their previous threat to challenge the constitutionality of the Oklahoma Charter School Act, existing charter schools are fighting for their lives and new charter school initiatives have been stifled, while the taxpayers and citizens of Tulsa continue to get the raw end of the deal.

Hopefully this lawsuit will not languish in the courts, but will soon see the light of day. The Oklahoma Charter School Act states, if you care to read it, that it is a pilot program. The initial idea was to see how this reform would fly and then perhaps, if successful, there would be a broader application to the rest of the state. Well enough time has passed. And the charter schools have performed in a vastly superior academic way than its same-city counterparts.

Ken Neal of the Tulsa World predicted in an editorial last April, that passage of the amendments to the Oklahoma Charter School Act would mean a proliferation of new charter schools. Well, have we seen one new charter school since the amendments took effect last summer? NO! And this TPS lawsuit has stymied any such initiative. What higher education board in its right mind would take on the sponsorship of a charter school with this lawsuit still pending?

Its high time to do something. Contact your state legislators and communicate your support for charter schools, school choice in general, and vouchers specifically.

Tulsa Weather Forecasters Left Out In The Cold

Once again, Tulsa's weather forecasters blew it. Universally forecasting 4-8 inches of snow, the Tulsa Metro area went into self-imposed hibernation. Local restaurants reported extremely slow sales on Thursday. Sporting events were rescheduled. Grocery store shelves were barren. People just stayed home, hunkered down for an impending blizzard that never showed up.

Despite the tremendous advances in technology and the massive spending on equipment and personnel by all local news stations, the weather in Oklahoma still holds the upper hand.

This was on the heels of missing the high temperature last Saturday by at least 10 degrees.

We must put TV weather forecasting in its proper place, a postscript to the more important local news, 3 to 4 minutes max.