Archive for June, 2008
Hate breaking out the caulk gun for a small job?
I know I hate the mess of dealing with a large caulk gun, especially for a small job. Check this out … great idea, great product. Caulk Singles. Use what you need, toss what you don’t. “Caulk Singles dispense effortlessly with one hand, require no tools, and leave essentially no waste in the package.”
For a limited time, they are giving away free samples.
As an infrequent Do-It-Yourselfer, I see loads of potential in this simply elegant product.
Raleigh Ranked #2 Best City to Live, Work and Play, 2008 Kiplinger
Posted by Daniel in cary, durham, entertainment, raleigh, real estate, wake on June 25, 2008
With a reputation as a technology hotbed, and the strength of top universities (UNC, Duke, NCSU), the Research Triangle Park area had attracted growth in high-tech, bio-tech industries in the 90s. Along side the employment opportunities, there’s been growth and revitalization in urban areas, new-urbanism projects and fresh cultural attractions.
According to Kiplingers.com (Source) Raleigh ranks up in the top 10 best cities to “live, work and play.” They looked at attributes such as strong economies, abundant jobs, living costs, and recreation.
Raleigh is a work in progress, but 2008 should be the turning point. The city’s new convention center will open this year, as will an adjoining Marriott hotel and the city’s tallest building, RBC Plaza. The Royal Bank of Canada’s U.S. headquarters is the kind of real estate Raleigh mayor Charles Meeker wants more of: a mix of office, condos and retail. “Our big challenge is more urban-style growth,” he says.
Are you a Raleigh renter? The City doesn’t think you’re paying enough taxes.
I found this bit of news a little disturbing — apparently the Raleigh City Council is set to approve a tax on rental units (An annual charge of $30 for the single-family rental house, $10 per apartment unit), an additional tax that will be charged to property owners. This seems like a good thing, right? After all, we all need the roads, sewer, police, fire departments … why shouldn’t the people who use these things pay for them?
The thing is, they already do. For each property (and potential user of these services) ad valorum property taxes are collected that pay for these services.
These fees amount to nothing more than a tax on tenancy. Make no mistake–if this is passed, the additional costs will be passed onto the tenants. In contrast, homeowners will not have this additional tax burden.
Unfortunately, a majority of the City Council believes that renters in Raleigh are second-class citizens, and should be taxed simply because they are renters. The City Council thinks that you won’t notice the tax, because they make your landlord pay it, but your rent will go up because of these new rules and taxes.
The City Council vote is on July 1st. Please contact the Raleigh City Council and urge that Mayor Meeker and Councilmembers Thomas Crowder, Russ Stephenson, Nancy McFarlane and Roger Koopman join their esteemed colleagues, Councilmembers James West, Mary-Ann Baldwin and Philip Isley in opposition of this tax!
Myka
Posted by Daniel in technology on June 25, 2008
I’ve been playing around with the AppleTV for a couple months now and starting to notice the limitations. There’s problems with organizing the content (podcasts, lectures from iTunesU, for example), with synchronization, and, while integrating with iTunes store makes 1-click shopping pretty easy, I don’t like how it’s tied into a proprietary system.
As such, I am looking forward to the release of Myka. Myka is an appliance that plugs into your TV and taps into your home’s internet connection. It makes use of torrents and makes content in a wide gamut of formats available. The company is taking pre-orders already and appears to be ready to ship sometime this season. Going to be exciting to see other competitors coming to market.
Blog is moving
Posted by Daniel in blogging, technology on June 4, 2008
My blog will be moving to danchang.blogspot.com at some point in the near future …