Sustainability in Eastern Kentucky

Powell County Distance Earning Forum

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This news release may be of interest to anyone who is interested in a sustainable mode of employment in Eastern Kentucky:

Distance Earning Telework Forum planned for Stanton
STANTON – Have you ever wanted the ultimate work-life balance, a rewarding career working from the comfort of your own home, or wished you could utilize your education and work experience to its fullest potential?

The Eastern Kentucky Distance Earning Initiative will sponsor a free Telework Forum at the Powell County Library, located at 725 Breckenridge Street in Stanton, Ky., at 6 p.m., Wednesday, February 16, 2011. This free event will highlight a new and innovative job creation plan in Eastern Kentucky. Participants can learn about the thousands of telework career opportunities and receive information on the Distance Earning initiatives skills inventory, which it plans to roll out in the coming months to target large scale telework job creation across the region.

Sponsored by a consortium of Kentucky Community and Technical College (KCTCS) member schools, businesses and the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP), the Eastern Kentucky Distance Earning Initiative is an aggressive economic development strategy that aims to bring sustainable wage jobs that can be performed at home or from a business incubator.

“Work is no longer a place you go, it’s something you do,” said

Joshua Ball, who coordinates the program for KCTCS. “This program is not about job creation, it is about creating opportunities for Eastern Kentuckians to work for progressive and innovative companies that are leading the charge to compete in the global marketplace.”

There are currently thousands of jobs available in a variety of different fields like: data entry, clerical, medical transcription and coding, IT support, computer programming, sales, tutoring and teaching, and a variety of management.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 8 million people worked from home in 2005. Companies like IBM, Dell, American Express and Lockheed Martin have employees who telework.

“Even during a time when jobs are scarce, IBM has over 2,000 telework opportunities available,” Ball added. “This strategy helps eliminate some of our region’s greatest barriers when it comes to job creation: geography and infrastructure.”
Interested individuals will receive free resume and interview coaching. Additionally, they will receive twice-a-week telework job postings emails from the program.

“It’s critical that we do everything we can to link our talented workforce to the many telework jobs that are available,” Ball said. “We know that that there are a lot of people looking for work, and a large number of talented workers who are underemployed.”

The Eastern Kentucky Distance Earning Initiative will roll out phase 2 of its plan in the coming months: a proactive blitz to use a skills inventory taken from forums held across the region to form partnerships with national companies to develop a pipeline to our workforce.

Companies across the globe are seeing the vast benefits to telework. Studies suggest that employees who work from home are more productive and tend to miss work less. It also has massive benefits to the environment. According to the Telework Exchange, if white-collar Americans would telework just one day a week, they would avoid driving 134 billion miles, eliminate 120 tons of pollutants from the air and save nearly $162 billion.

For more information about the program, contact Ball at (606) 487-3205 or 800-246-7521, ext. 73205.

Political Commentary

Our Destiny is NOT Free Enough

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I just caught the tail-end of President Obama’s 2011 State of the Union Address. He said something to the effect of “our destiny is still ours to make.” It is with a heavy heart that I must disagree with him.

Slowly but surely, our ability to shape our destiny is being eroded, statute by statute and tax by tax.  President Obama is an advocate of some of the most oppressive legislation of my lifetime. For example, small business will cease to exist in this country as most will be cannibalized by mandatory healthcare supplements for all employees. On paper, this sounds like a great thing, especially for the employees. However, what this will actually do is discourage small business investment because it will create such a high barrier to market entry. Therefore, instead of having a job without insurance, many workers will have no job at all because the small businesses will be forced into extinction.  Therefore, the destinies of thousands of small business owners is now at the mercy of some misconceived, fairy tale legislation.

Furthermore, Obama’s hatred of coal-generated electricity is beyond logic. Yes, coal is a dirty way to generate electricity. Yes, strip mining has some negative effects of the environments. Yes, coal miners face peril and risk life and limb on a daily basis. BUT, do we have another viable alternative that can generate the amount of electricity needed in America today? BUT, is President Obama doing anything to keep lobbyists and utility companies from impeding these alternatives? I think not. I hope that coal can eventually be replaced, but until its replacement is viable, I think mining should continue uninhibited.

The saddest part about my objections listed above is that I, an average person, has no ability to bring about change. My elected officials don’t seem to be listening, or are afraid to do what I (and many others like me) want for fear of retaliation by the majority. I can get on this little website and air my grievances, but that’s not going to do much good (beyond therapeutic value for me). I often wish they’d put some big issues to popular vote, but that wouldn’t do much good. Some self-important, power-monger judge would just overturn whatever we decided if he didn’t like the decision. What this all means is that I hate my destiny but can’t change it because of my government. If that’s not a reason to be sad, I don’t know what is.

Microsoft Windows, Tech Tips

Right-Clicking with a Broken Right-Mouse Button

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I was working on the Health Science teacher’s laptop yesterday and discovered the right mouse button on the touch pad is broken. Since the Commonwealth is broke, replacing the out-of-warranty laptop is out of the question just to enable right-clicking again. (And no, the keyboard for this laptop is devoid of a right-click button.)

I started Googling to find a utility that would simulate a right click. Come to find out, Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 all support right-clicking using the keyboard without having to do anything special. The magic command is to simultaneously press Shift + F10 at the same time. The right-click will register wherever your mouse cursor happens to be.

Obviously, this isn’t something you’ll need to do all the time, but in a pinch with a busted mouse, this tidbit can come in very handy!

Personal Updates

To All US Veterans

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I want to say thanks to all my friends and family, past and present, who are veterans. America couldn’t be America without you.

This country is a little shaky at the moment, but because of your willingness to sacrifice, we all have the right to try to change things without fear of oppression. That right is a priceless gift that we owe in no small part to you, the men and women of the Armed Forces. God bless you all!

Mike Bryant for State Representative, Personal Updates

Pride

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Tomorrow, voters will go to the polls in the 91st district and make their choice for State Representative. Win, lose, or draw, I am proud to have stood by Mike  over the last 11 months trying to let the world know why Mike Bryant is what the 91st district needs. Throughout this entire campaign, Mike and myself have tried to conduct ourselves with dignity and honor. We have run a clean campaign. (I know we were accused of otherwise because we pointed out Teddy’s voting record and stated why we don’t agree with it. However, stating a voting record is not underhanded. An voting official is the sum of his or her voting record. But anyway…)

If Mike wins, I know he will work hard to do what he said he would do: That’s why I’ll vote for him. If he loses, he’ll commence to doing what he has tried to do since I’ve known him: Create great software using Information Technology talent from right here in Eastern Kentucky. Either way, it’s good to have a guy like Mike working to make the 91st district a better place.

Mike is like a 10-year-older version of myself in a lot of ways. I can only hope to conduct myself  over the next 10 years the way Mike has. I am proud and honored to call him my friend.

[Facebook folks: If you like Mike and think he’ll do a good job, consider liking this post, or better yet, share a comment about why YOU like Mike!!]

Mike Bryant for State Representative, Political Commentary

Mike Bryant Will Work for You with a Programmer’s Approach

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Mike Bryant has been a computer programmer for the last 15 years. He has worked for AutoTrader.com, Time-Warner Cable, as well as many other businesses. What exactly about this job would make someone a good state representative?

To answer this question, it helps to know a little about how a programmer approaches the problems that he or she tries to solve every day. The general process a programmer employs to find solutions goes something like this:

  1. Figure out what the problem is
  2. Gather as much information about the problem as possible
  3. Analyze this information to formulate a plan of action for solving the problem
  4. Write computer code based on the plan
  5. Test the code to make sure it’s working as planned
  6. Revise the code to fix any errors
  7. Repeat steps 5 & 6 until everything’s working

The keystone of a programmer’s approach lies in the first three steps. Writing code is actually a small part of solving a big problem. The programmer doesn’t do anything until he has an idea of the facts about the problem and how the building blocks available to him fit together. Useful programs ARE NOT a result of some knee-jerk reaction or off-the-cuff decisions.

If you look at the economic and political climate in Kentucky at the moment, it would seem that our current elected officials have made a lot of decisions without any analysis whatsoever.  I get the feeling that most of our senators and representatives read a summary of a bill and totally ignore the details. Too bad the summaries aren’t what determine the success of legislation. As the old saying goes, the devil is in the details!  I’m not saying that everyone in Frankfort is so short sighted, but the results of their actions speak for themselves.

Mike will use his analytical skills to craft good legislation that actually make things better for the 91st district? It’s true that legislators have to deal with tons of requests and details every single day. Does Mike possess some super-human mind that will allow him to track all the facts in his head? No, but he does know how to use spreadsheets and databases to get to the details needed to make good decisions. Computers are really good at crunching details. Luckily, Mike is really good at telling computers how to work for him!

It may seem odd to think that software can make that big of a difference. However, it’s been proven over and over in the business world that software which lets decision makers see underlying trends pays off big time.  In government, this would translate to a government that actually works for the people.

I know that when Mike gets elected, he will be a champion for data-driven decision making. Furthermore, I know that he will share his custom-written software solutions with his fellow representatives so that they all can make better decisions based on what the facts are. I’m confident that when decisions are made based on the details, things in Kentucky will start to change for the better. What an exciting thought!

Mike Bryant for State Representative, Political Commentary

Mike Bryant is a Change in the Right Direction

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When I think about what Mike will do to help Breathitt, Estill, and Lee Counties if he gets elected, I get excited. Why? Because I think Mike will be a strong voice, the likes of which the 91st district hasn’t seen at least in the last six and a half years since I’ve been in Breathitt County. Mike won’t be a mouthpiece for anybody, be it a Republican, Democrat, or Whig. Sure, he knows that he will have to work with the other legislators to make sure the people of the 91st district receive their fair share, but he won’t jump at the majority leader’s every whim. I’m willing to stake my reputation that if Mike gets elected, his voting record will reflect the needs of his district.

I’ve talked to Teddy about 3 times, long before Mike ever decided to run. He’s a nice man, but he doesn’t have a voice of his own. Any time I have asked him what he thought about certain policies or things going on in the legislature, he always fills me in on what all the other representatives thought about the situation. He never indicated to me what he believes or doesn’t believe.

There’s nothing wrong with Teddy being a nice guy, but it is a problem when he isn’t willing to stand up to other state representatives to make sure the 91st district doesn’t get overlooked for the betterment of other districts. Niceness is no substitute for passion! I get the feeling that Teddy votes with other state reps hoping that they’ll vote with him once in awhile, but I don’t think he gets that much backing from others. I realize he has to work with others, but once in awhile, a little bucking might funnel some much-needed resources into the 91st district.

There have been accusations that Mike has been slinging mud. Teddy’s supporters are portraying Ted as a victim of some evil plot to defame him. I have never heard Mike say anything about Teddy’s character. I can’t speak for Mike’s other supporters, but Mike and I aren’t really concerned with Ted’s character. As best I can tell, Ted is a good Christian fellow. My personal reasons for supporting Mike are very clear and they have nothing to do with me thinking Teddy is a bad person:

  1. I think Ted’s voting record does not support the wishes of his constituents.
  2. Aside from some of Ted’s legislation supporting education (which is good but not really that good considering he’s had 8 years to introduce stuff), I think the legislation Teddy has introduced has been lackluster and inconsequential.
  3. Mike is passionate and willing to fight for what the 91st district needs: anti-drug efforts, job opportunities, and infrastructure (high-speed Internet access and better roads).

Teddy’s nice. The current social situation for the hard working people of the 91st district isn’t so nice. Teddy’s approach isn’t working.  Since he isn’t willing to change his approach, I’m willing to change my State Representative.

Tech Tips, Visual Basic, Web Development/Programming

Reversing a String in VB.net

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The following code snippet shows how easy it is to reverse a string in Vb.net:

Dim originalString As String = "Some text here"
Dim reversedString As String = originalString.Reverse.ToArray
'reversedString now equals "ereh txet emoS"

As you can see, this is very easy to do, however, most of the examples I found online were overly complicated. So, I thought I’d post my nice easy way.  Happy coding!

Tech Tips

Free Helvetica Font Alternative

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People like Paula Scher despise the classic font Helvetica, but to my untrained eyes, it is a fantastic font for clean headings. Unfortunately, the many variants of Helvetica are not free. Linotype and Adobe both have their implementations, but they cost around $25 per variant. That’s just too much to pay for a font. What to do?

Today, I was working on a project where Helvetica would have came in very handy, so I did a web search and came upon a FREE decent alternative released under the GPL by Red Had a few years ago called Liberation Sans, designed by Steve Matteson. Obviously, it’s not exactly like Helvetica, but it’s close enough to fool the average (read: non-typesetter) person. Besides, it looks a lot better than Microsoft’s ripoff Arial. Check out the sample below that shows all four variants that are available:

liberation_sans_sample

For me, this is an excellent find. Very importantly, it is released under the GPL so you can use it for anything you like, as long as you promise to allow others the rights to always use it too.

If you like Liberation Sans, click here to download it. Many thanks to Red Hat for allowing this great font to be freely used and distributed.

Mike Bryant for State Representative

How is Mike Bryant Going to Reduce Taxes While Still Balancing the State Budget?

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Some people have questioned exactly how Mike is planning on reducing the burden on the taxpayers while at the same time raising money necessary to balance the state budget. This is a perfectly valid question. Anybody trying to decide who to vote for should be asking this question.

The answer boils down to simple economic principles involving the number of taxpayers and how much each taxpayer must pay. Currently, most politicians view the number of taxpayers as a constant. In this scenario, the only way to increase tax revenue is to increase the amount of taxes each taxpayer must pay.

Mike’s solution is to increase the number of taxpayers. If you increase taxpayers, then each taxpayer is responsible for less. How do you increase the number of taxpayers? Provide jobs. When you get more people working, you can raise more money with each person paying a smaller percentage of their earnings. Consider the following simplified illustration:

Illustration of Mike Bryant's Tax Plan

The best part of this is that Mike’s promise to bring jobs into KY is anything but lip service. As a private citizen, he has been working to bring jobs to the area since he left Atlanta to move back home. Despite his struggles to find steady work upon returning to the mountains, Mike continuously gave work to local people whenever possible. Whenever Mike benefited, so did those around him.

To scale his efforts to bring work to KY, Mike has several strategies that will certainly lead to employment opportunities for thousands of Kentuckians. Firstly, Mike will take measures to make KY, and especially Eastern KY, an Information Technology (IT) powerhouse. The low cost of living means that IT professionals living in the area can make a good living while providing their services at a cost significantly below the national average. What this means is that work that used to be done in Cincinnati or New York will be done in KY.

Secondly, Mike will travel far and wide to court any and all types of businesses who may have an interest in coming to KY. All companies willing to employ folks, both foreign and domestic, will be aggressively sought out. Over time, high school and college graduates will no longer have to leave home to find work: Instead, they can find a job close to home.

Thirdly, Mike will work to reform existing tax laws such that small and medium-sized businesses can more easily expand. Mike ran a small contracting business for awhile and he knows all too well that taxes severely limited his expansion potential. Businesses are no different than individuals. If there are more businesses paying taxes, each will have to give less to the government but the government will still have the same amount of money to perform its functions.

Mike’s strategies aren’t a magic bullet. They will take time. Perhaps more important to realize is that they will take hard work on the part of legislatures and citizens alike. However, the strategies are built on solid reasoning and are doable. One thing’s for sure, Mike’s not afraid of hard work, especially since helping eastern Kentucky prosper is one of his life-long dreams.

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