Charlemagne, is the check in the mail?

Buck. That's what most of my friends call me. It's too bad I don't like being called that. One year, in college, my fraternity bought shirts that had the person's last name preceded by an "O" on the back, so my shirt was "O'buck". On the front of the shirt was "the only Irish fraternity on campus"... good stuff. When the shirts came I was quick to point out that my family's last name used to be O'Buck but that the "o" was dropped to disassociate the family with those drunken Irish sailors, who were not looked on with particular favor.

It was a good story and made the shirt a good conversation starter or ice-breaker.

While bubbling with Irish pride one day I came across an online ad for ancestry.com. It looked reputable enough so I went ahead an clicked on it. I signed up for a free two week trial membership and was off to the genealogical races. Ancestry has a feature called One Tree which users the information you put in and tries to match it with existing research. This made it possible to go back in time about 200 years in the first day. Every day throughout the next two weeks I found out more. By the sixth day of research (and I use the term loosely) I was already beginning to brag about the ties I was finding. Ironically, I'm not Irish at all. I'm not even sure any of my ancestors set foot on that British Isle. Regardless, you have to admit the O'Buck t-shirt story is a good one. In fact, every link of my fathers family I could get information from is from England. After that revelation I was particularly interested with the line that grants me my middle name, Clayton.

The Clayton family time line begins when Robert de Clayton came to England with William the Conqueror and was granted lands known as Clayton-le-Moors for his important military services during the invasion of 1066. It was as though my family was responsible for Europe coming out of the dark ages. Cool stuff eh?

Cool until you discover the problem with ancestry's one tree feature. The problem stems from everyone wanting to trace their line back as far as possible, just as I was doing. Unfortunately when people do research they are often guilty of being a tad liberal in their assumptions. It's not too much to say that someone had a son when they were eleven and then a daughter when they were 75, right? If the date of death puts a hole in your assumption...it's probably because of some clerical mistake, one of those things that used to happen before we had administrative professionals day. So while I still likely have ties to the "de Clayton's" I haven't as of yet found the missing link".

I discovered the error in my tracing of my Clayton lineage by rechecking information. However, the de Clayton line wasn't the only line I had traced back that far, there was another name that entered the equation that was even more intriguing: Plantagenet. Now THERE is a family name that if you can tap into, you will find your relationships with all sorts of kings.

And once you've gone that far, your link to Charlemagne is intact- the holy grail of genealogical research. I was determined to find a confident link between Charlemagne and myself. I knew there was a few leaps of family assumption but confident I would be able to find the link. Once again I was bubbling with emotion. I truly was the descendant of Charlemagne. Who wouldn't be proud.

Silly me. As it turns out we're ALL related to Charlemagne. Sure it's a bit disappointing but the whole ancestry.com process is a lot of fun. I learned a lot about my English heritage and have since purchased a Flag of England I proudly display at my home.

Adios cousin.

The Taking Issue

What does the term public servant mean to you?

While the name may conjure up images of a fat Colonel Sanders making the back room deal with the public works contractor, in reality, the vast majority are over worked but more importantly under appreciated providers of the public good. Now, what the public good is and what is "good for the public" is an entirely different and very touchy subject. I'll leave that for a snowy day.

I make no secret that my job is essentially red tape, fulfilling "requirements". However, every once in awhile, if only by accident some of the work I do does make a small difference. One of the most challenging parts of my red tape job is the requirements for public involvement. It's not very fun to come to meetings just to get yelled at by, well, I call them crazies, when they don't even pay attention to what you are saying or what you are trying to do. They just look at you and think "government".

That's at least how it happens some places. In others, its no secret (and probably the reason for the publics distrust) that the government presenters come to meetings with the end result in mind and only bring the information to the public to "check the box." Sometimes this isn't a huge deal, the changing of a speed limit or addition of a traffic signal but sometimes these decision truly warrant a DECISION of the people, not just provided for their consideration.

This is certainly the case with the Trans-Texas corridor. I'll get to that topic in a moment.

When I was a young Urban Planning student in my first semester my College professor, Rocky Ward gave us a test with the question "What is the taking issue?" I hadn't done the reading (I never did the reading) and up until that point hadn't had any interest in real world topics like planning and thus had no clue what the answer was. I wish I still had that test to see what sort of rambling excuse for an answer I gave. I quickly learned though that this is one of the most critical principles in planning, or at least in planning ethics. To give you a better understanding of the taking issue take a look here.

Its the ultimate strong arm move by the government. Through zoning communities can regulate the use of land, however, they can't deny economic viability to the property
owner. The "legal" way of repossessing property is through eminent domain, where the property owner is generally compensated. Since we are talking about real property its easy to see how this can be a hotly contested issue.


In Michigan there was a huge issue when proposed portions of I-696 went straight through an Orthodox Jewish community in Oak Park. The Federal Highway Administration has a great case study from this project on community impact mitigation. What resulted from the NEPA process and cooperation from highway planners and community leaders was as close as you can get to a win win situation with something that has the potential to affect a community. Now huge parks span across the freeway and keep the community connected.

The problem that has surfaced, or at least come to the attention of more people is the public taking for private profit, the ultimate inside job. Let me be clear that eminent domain can be a very good thing, its just that it is abused. It has been the impetus for redevelopment in countless areas. Without it, successful infill development, especially in older urban areas, would be nearly impossible.

The Trans-Texas Corridor is one of those abuses of implied power that impresses on the public the thought that eminent domain is only an abuse of power and not a reasonable way to promote the public good. We've all heard that everything is bigger in Texas and this project is no exception. The proposed corridor stretches from Mexico all the way to Oklahoma across Texas farmland.

I came across an interesting little website about the corridor and the abuse of power in the planning of the corridor. It's a property owners worst nightmare: owning your own piece of land minding your own business, paying your taxes, when someone comes to tell you that your home will be destroyed and you will be "compensated."


There's a lot of talk out there about the Trans-Texas Corridor being the first leg of the new NAFTA super highway. If you've ever read "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens, picture the Coketown stretching from Mexico to Detroit. That picture is what the doom and gloomers are painting but this is really just a misunderstanding.

Before we start screaming government conspiracy lets bring ourselves back to the facts on NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. Lots of talk about a new NAFTA superhighway is out there and I think Christopher Hayes does a good job of bringing us back to reality about NAFTA

None the less, I really thought the Truth Be Tolled web site was interesting. If you listen to the trailer it sounds like something out of Braveheart. "They may take our lives, but they'll never take OUR FARMS!" While the fear of the "Superhighway" might at least in part be unfounded, the affects of this corridor are real.



Here's a few more takes on eminent domain. I'll try to add more as I find them.

Tim Brown's Post
Cory on Transcanada and KELO
Nan Brasmer's Real California Eminent Domain Reform without Hidden Agendas

Google is Big Brother

The multi billion dollar global giant knows more about you than you think and it will soon know more.

Google first became an incorporated business in 1998. (GOOG) was first publicly traded in 2004 and has been a stock sensation ever sense, more than sextupling its price per share. It's truly amazing how far the company has grown in ten years. Google is the true epitome of success for an internet company and has become the standard by which all other search engines and for the most part web companies are measured.

In fact, for a web company to succeed, being indexed by Google is essential and without adequate indexing a web company is doomed to failure. Google utilizes what it calls "crawlers". These crawlers constantly surf the net looking for new and updated information and that information is then indexed into the results you get each time you Google your own name. Even the name Google has turned into a verb.

There is no question Google has made many lives easier, created jobs and brought the farthest reaches of the internet to the doorstep of anyone with a computer but at what cost?

Google is scooping up fledgling internet companies like a wangdoodle scoops up oompa loompas for breakfast (pat on the back for that analogy). Lets look at some of some of Google's acquisitions.

Picasa
Youtube
Panomario
Feedburner
Pyra Labs (Blogger)
Keyhole Inc. (Google Earth)

There are about 40 more significant acquisitions not even mentioned.

How does Google know so much about us? Well, there is gmail, so they know who we are friends with. Panoramio and Keyhole help them know where we go, where we want to go and what pictures we take when we go there. The Google search engine keeps track of your web statistics; what sites you visit, how often you go there, how often you go there during work. Blogger lets them know what interests us and our opinions. You get the picture. They even use us to get to know more about each other which then funnels right back to them. Talk about targeted marketing!

If you haven't done it already I would encourage you to enable google's web statistics, you can do so easily from your google homepage after you have created account, which you've already done if you have a blogger blog, or an adsense account. Check back on your statistics after a week or so. You'll feel all dirty inside knowing Google has you in its sights 24 hours a day. While tools->internet options -> clear history might help cover your tracks at work, Google still knows. If you don't have a Google account, sign up for one.

If you think the government knows to much about you, think about who knows even more about you.

Blu-ray or HD-DVD?

I like to be somewhere near the front lines of new technology and as I near the purchase of a new video format player I thought it appropriate to document my findings on the rival Blu-ray and HD-DVD high definition video formats.

Lets look at each individually first.

Blu-ray is the format child of Sony (SNE). The technology was first introduced in the late 1990's but because the REST of technology hadn't caught up there was no easy or cheap way of storing the quantity of data that was needed to reproduce true high definition pictures. Remember that around the turn of the millennium, an 80 gig hard drive PC was a joke and only the true tech junkies even knew what a terrabyte was.

The "Blu" in blu-ray is not just a marketing ploy it actually derives from the technology that makes the storage and reproduction of high def movies possible. If you've ever looked in a CD or traditional DVD player you see that there is a red laser. That beam however operates at a longer wavelength than the blue laser used for the HD format and therefore can not focus on an area narrow enough to pack all the data necessary on an HD disk. The Blu ray disks can store between 25 and 50 gigabytes, yes, gigabytes.

HD-DVD is the format child of Toshiba and was developed after what seems to be some backstabbing of some of the members of the DVD Forum- yes there is such a thing.Read about the DVD Forum here

A decision as to whether or not to endorse the blue laser technology could not be reached and Toshiba, after not backing the technology as Chair of the DVD forum, began development of its own blue laser HD format which was later named HD DVD in 2003.

And so its stands now, there are two HD options which use technology that is just different enough that almost all players will only support one format. Despite their differences the technological ability of each format is virtually the same.

This new format war has left everyone that still has a beta max player in their basement very concerned.

That is really where we stand today, two separate formats that do essentially the same thing fighting each other out to become the standard. We as consumers wishing to be if not on the cutting edge, at least wish to be a technological bellwether for our friends and family are forced to....guess who will ultimately "win".

If you are interested in a non-scientific yet still interesting breakdown of the two formats check this out. It does a good job of describing how each of the formats are being utilized. I am going to focus on what will ultimately decide the war and that is which format the movie studios pick.

No matter how superior one format may be over the other, the real issue is who supports it. There are eight major movie studios:

Paramount
Fox
Sony
MGM
Lionsgate
Warner
Disney
Universal

Universal and more recently Paramount are exclusively HD-DVD
Disney, Fox, Sony, Lionsgate and MGM are all exclusively Blu-ray

Warner seems to be the guy left in the middle making available its movies for both formats and is working on a format that will play on both players that may debut in 2008. This format, called Total HiDef or THD will have the blu-ray format on one side and the HD-DVD format on the other.

The other thing to keep in mind is how the video game world is utilizing the technology.

Sony has the playstation and logically, the current generation play station utilizes Sony's own Blu-ray technology, this becomes important because the Playstation 3 actually plays blu ray disks. A Playstation 3 can actually be purchased for near the price of a blu-ray player.

Microsoft has sided with the HD-dvd format however an add on that costs about $150 is necessary to play HD-DVD's. The fact that Microsoft continues to lose money by producing Xbox systems, I give another check to Blu-ray and Sony.

The key for the war is getting their name included in the vernacular. Here again I give the advantage to Blu-ray. A lot of money was paid to promote the technology and many people understand Blu-ray as the hot new item. HD-dvd by virtue of its name runs the risk of being misconstrued as a technology not a format. Just like "googling" doesn't necessarily mean using the google website, it's become synonymous with using a search engine, much to the chagrin of both google (GOOG), for copyright issues, and Yahoo (YHOO)- the loser of the search engine wars.

Even though the most recent change in movie studios backing a format was paramounts change to exclusively supporting HD-DVD this format war is Blu-ray's to lose. They've got the biggest of the big dogs, Disney on board.

I think its safe to say it's time to go blu-ray shopping. If Disney (DIS) as a supporter of the technology is good how about retail giant Wal-mart (WMT). Check out this Holiday special that offers 15 free blu-ray dvd's with the purchase of a Playstation 3.

The Warren Commission Report or The Thrill of the Hunt

I was a weird kid. One of the nuances that stuck out early in my childhood was an interest in the JFK assassination. I don't remember any particular reason for taking an interest in the subject other than my refusal to agree with conspiracy theorists without what I thought was proof. Like I said...a weird kid.

When I was in 4th or 5th grade, back when doing research meant going to the library, I, by virtue of the Dewey decimal system, borrowed a copy of the Warren Commission Report. While my reasoning isn't particularly sound, I at that time was sure that with the use of my trusty magnifying glass I would be able to solve the mystery once and for all. I was under the impression that not many people analyzed this type of stuff and that if I could only get my hand on the Zapruder film or have time to sift through pictures from the Warren Commission report, I would get to the bottom of the case!

Well, I didn't make the ground breaking discovery, or at least there is nothing I am going to write about here, however, I did come across a fascinating story today that reminded me of my days as a young sleuth. Apparently, last december, some 5,000 images were digitized and made available from the Library of Congress. Upon what I expect were countless hours of scrolling through and examining images, John Richter, a historian found what many people now believe to be a previously unknown picture of Abraham Lincoln shortly before the Gettysburg address. I've included the picture which highlights the supposed President and his characteristic hat.

This renewed my hope that there is still much to be discovered. If simply by reviewing images made available from the Library of Congress with a keen eye one can make a discovery such as this, let the search continue!

In search of College Gameday and Friday's pre-prediction

Tonight a friend and I are going to attend the pep rally for the Michigan football team at the diag. The schedule of the game will make it so that tomorrow we can go and stand in the College Gameday crowd and try to be seen. I've always wanted to think of a creative sign and try to get on TV but that's not going to happen this time.

Later this evening the idea is to walk around Ann Arbor in search of the gameday crew as well as the TV crew. I'm not sure which tv crew will be working this one but I'm expecting Brad Nessler. It'll be fun just to be in town for the atmosphere.

I heard that Corso was supposed to be at Briarwood tonight at the M-Den. It would be cool to go see him there but I don't think there is enough time in the evening to both attend the pep rally, walk around town and make it to the mall.

I entered this week thinking Ohio State was going to win. In fact I was fairly convinced of it. For whatever reason, my opinion has changed. I really feel Michigan will prevail which is a great way to feel, pre-game.

I suppose its prediction time.

Michigan 28
OSU 24

Hart 23 carries for 86 yards and 1 TD, pulled in the third quarter due to injury
Henne 25/38 for 280 and 3 touchdowns

Go Blue!

Michigan's Keys to Victory against ohio State

In an ongoing commentary that will likely lead all the way up to game time, today I'd like to point out what I think Michigan has to do to win Saturday against the hairless nuts.

1. Don't fall behind by more than 10.

To someone that hasn't seen a lot of Michigan football this year this likely sounds like a no brainer. Michigan has shown that it can come from behind on multiple occasions this year. A half time deficit is not a big concern but two touchdowns or more may just be too much to overcome. Conversely, Michigan hasn't had a whole lot of opportunities to play with the lead, often coming from behind late. If they take the lead they need to force it down the buckeyes throat. Ala, Woody "the Clemson hater" Hayes, when you score your 48th point, go for two!

2. Stay healthy

Perhaps the most important x factor are the health of Hart and Henne. Michigan needs 100% from these guys for the entire game, no more half game 100 yard performances from Hart are needed. As Lloyd would say "60 minutes of football".

3. Make Boeckman wish he'd never left c-bus.

Last weeks Michigan game vs. Wisconsin started with all sorts of pressure on Wisconsin's Tyler Donovan. He took some big hits early and it seemed Shawn Crable was going to spend most of the afternoon in the Badgers backfield. Almost back to back personal foul calls seemed to put an end to Michigan's defensive intensity. After those calls Michigan's pass rush was over committing which led to Michigan allowing a what turned out to be (at least for a week) mobile quarterback showcase, like Michigan has been victim to over recent memory. Troy Smith is gone and Michigan needs to plant Boeckman on his rear, not hurries, SACKS!

4. Zoltan Mesko punts like its 1950

I really like Michigan's punter Zoltan Mesko. I'm even in a facebook group called "Zoltan Mesko for Heisman". While his play this year has been generally good, last week was not. He was booting short, returnable kicks. A pet peeve of mine is Michigan punts from the opponents 40-50 yard line. While opponents seem to be able to send Michigan to the shadow of the goal posts, time and time again short Michigan punts will go into the end zone netting 15 to 20 yards. Field position will be big in this game.

5. Win 1st downs.

Michigan was terrible at this last week. Michigan need running backs falling forward for 4+ yards on first down. Jake Long needs to play the game of his life and the have Hart running behind him all game.

6. Stop 3rd and longs

I think opponents favorite down against Michigan is 3rd and 9+. Michigan needs to take advantage of the opportunities it presents itself with by stopping the bucks on 1st and 2nd down. I want to hear the Michigan band playing temptation after every third play in an OSU drive.

The Michigan vs. Ohio State rivalry

Last night HBO played a 90 minute special about the Michigan and ohio State rivalry. I thought it was very nicely done. They had interviews with lots of players, spent an appropriate amount of time on the ten year war between woody and Bo.

Needless to say it got me pumped about this game. I've heard and read from all sorts of papers and online publications and radio shows that the game has lost its luster with both teams losing last week.

Maybe it has nationally, but certainly not locally. Just like last year this game is for everything; outright big ten title and a trip to the Grand-daddy of 'em all, the Rose Bowl. It would have been nice to see Michigan go from a game one Ap State loss to knocking off the number one buckeyes as a symbolic achievement for this years amazing college football season but this game doesn't need anymore spice. It's perfect just the way it is.


Ivan Maisel is now picking Michigan to be the 4th big ten team pick for bowl selection and has them going to the Alamo bowl. A funny thing about Michigan football, everyone expects them to win and when they don't they supposedly suck. Illinois beats Ohio State and they are instantly the crown jewel of the big ten; apparently everyone has forgotten that Michigan beat the same Illinois team and the same "Juice for Heisman" mobile quarterback AT Illinois AT night just a few weeks ago. People use the parity argument on one hand and then say that Michigan's 6 straight victories against Big Ten opponents doesn't matter because its a down year, despite all of the Big Ten Bowl eligible teams.