Dear XsunX, Please "Consider Kansas City"

Consider Kansas City is a phrase I find myself using more and more. I fire off random emails to companies whenever I hear about one having plans to expand or relocate. Unfortunately my credentials of "failed politician" and "blogger" do not carry much cachet with prospective employers. The responses I do receive have been lukewarm. The latest object of my affection is a California company called XsunX. They are planning on building a manufacturing facility (note to city leaders, this is considered "job creation") to produce a 5-megawatt modular solar panel to meet increasing demands for solar cell products that are integrated into buildings and houses. Unfortunately for Kansas City, we are located in a state that is singularly focused on corn liquor, err I mean ethanol. XsunX Chief Operating Officer Joe Grimes is quoted as saying "We plan to build our first facility where we find the best access to government support and a qualified work force. We are paying special attention to opportunities in California, Massachusetts and, of course, Colorado where our current facilities are located." If I can manage to find Mr. Grimes' email address I'm sure if I receive any reply at all it will consist of a "thank you for your interest" and "we'll take it under consideration." Too bad. I think Kansas City would be a fantastic place for some hi-tech manufacturing. I won't stop trying though.

ATA is off the web?

This morning I went to kcata.org first thing to get some light rail information. I was surprised to see a NetworkSolutions placeholder page that says kcata.org expired on 04/24/2007. Ummm. Helloooo!!! That's a pretty easy thing to do, and somebody should have been getting a ton of annoying emails reminding them to RENEW NOW! Insert your own obvious comments below... Update: Commenter bus rider informs us the kcata.org site is back up. Thanks!

The Great Western Public House

This is the pub near my hotel in London. It was a great place to see Chelsea take on Liverpool in a Premier League match. I felt pretty safe there because according to the sign outside nobody has been murdered there in over a month.

London Baby!

Sorry for the lack of posts last week. I was in the UK on business. First Newbury and then London. I have some great pictures and as soon as I find my interface cable I'll do some picture posts. Isn't that exciting! Anyhoo, I'm still recovering from "London time" so I'm pretty much sleepy all the time. Pics are on the way. Stay tuned...

Blighted BriarTIF seeps into Riverside

The Kansas City Business Journal reports that Briarcliff Development Co. wants the city of Riverside to grant them TIF for 75,000 square feet of office space. Just when you thought they couldn't go to the TIF well one more time, they changed wells! The request would divert all new property taxes generated by the offices to the developer for 23 years. This is exactly the kind of... You know what? Screw it. Let 'em have it.

Blogger Meetup Recap

Last night was the Blogger Meetup put together by Well Hell Michelle. I arrived late due to having to run errands, including dropping off my state tax return at the Union Station post office. This of course made me 30 minutes later because I was riding the MAX. I arrived to a full table of happy people. Some I knew, most I knew of. I met the Saders of Sader Family Blog. JustCara, MToast, Cubicle Gangsta and General Blather were all people I knew of but had never met. The night reduced down to The Flogging of America, General Blather (who doesn't talk much by the way), Dangerboy and myself discussing of course, Kansas City politics. New friends were made, new blogs were discovered, and nobody was "outed" that I'm aware. I'd say plans should be made for another meetup. It's going to be a long summer and maybe we can lure some more introverted new media types out of their lairs.

Sunshine not Moonshine

The last time I was in California was 2003. As I drove around what once was the dot com capital of the world, I was stunned by the acres and acres of empty commercial space. It seemed every building had a For Lease or Sale sign on it. That is quietly changing. ABC News reports that a new industry is rising from the ashes of Silicon Valley. Ironically, an industry based on silicon. The primary ingredient of solar panels. Still smarting from the Internet bubble burst, some of the technical braintrust of Silicon Valley is turning to what may be the next big thing, generating new kinds of energy for a country increasingly worried about dependence on foreign oil and the threat of global warming caused by the release of greenhouse gases. These are some of the same people who changed the world with the silicon computer chip, the hard drive, digital technology, even the Apple iPod. Follow the money. I repeated it throughout my campaign (nobody cared) and I'll repeat it now. This time, follow the money of the Venture Capitalists. VC's are the ultimate barometers for where the next big "thing" will come from. These guys aren't out to save the world, they're out to make a buck. Forget about being environmental. This is about supply and demand. Economies of scale. Manufacturing improvements. Low cost, high margin. Whew! My mouth is watering and my heart is racing. BRB. Valley companies are also working on fuel cells, biomass fuels, and a new generation of electric cars. The VC's are taking notice. A perfect storm may be brewing for dot com v2.0. This time the hot products will be solar panels. Rechargeable batteries. Micro wind turbines. Electric cars. The company that changes the way we power our homes, our lives for that matter may be toiling away in a steel building somewhere in Sunnyvale or Santa Clara. The next overnight millionaires won't be web programmers, they'll be physicists, chemical and electrical engineers. We could have that kind of excitement right here in Kansas City. Rather than pay extortion, err I mean incentivize local companies to stay, we should be sleazing around Silicon Valley, tax incentives in hand and selling a couple of these companies on our central location, low cost of living and surrounding educational institutions with excellent engineering programs. Wouldn't it be nice to see some solar panels popping up on rooftops in the West Bottoms? Ehh. Who am I kidding. Let's just keep growing corn and making ethanol. Excuse me. I need to go check on my still and make sure them goll dern revnuers ain't found my mash pots.

Blogger Meetup!

Are you up for an unofficial KC blogger meetup? Well Hell Michelle is organizing a little get together for all of us geeks to get together and talk about "FTP Publishing" and "which is better, WordPress or Blogger?" Not for the faint of heart... Tuesday, April 17th Happy Hour until ???? Harry’s Country Club (Harry’s in the River Market, NOT Harry’s in Westport) 112 Missouri Ave Kansas City, MO 64106 If you would like to help get the word out, put the info on your site… kind of a viral blogging : ) Stop by if you're up for it, down for it, or whatever the case may be : )

Senator Chuck Graham wants to take away my right to wear short sleeves!

Joe Wilson over at The Source has done some nifty reporting. It seems he has busted two state senators at a bar! Worst than that they appear to be looking at attractive college girls! Groundbreaking stuff that men would be at a bar where there are attractive women. I think a good caption for the photo they posted would be "looking at what you can never have." But alas, I digress. I am more concerned with what Senator Chuck Graham has been up to on the legislative front. According to The Source, Senator Graham has been "trying to find a way to take away your Constitutional right to bare arms." Krikey! With summer coming on I can't imagine what it would be like to endure a day of yardwork in a sweatshirt. Without short sleeves, and yes even a tanktop I don't think I could make it. What sort of nefarious bastard would take away my right to show my naked arms? I'm wearing a t-shirt right now in the privacy of my own home. Would Senator Graham have the Highway Patrol breaking down my door and hauling me away? (not before covering my arms of course) I am glad The Source has alerted me to this issue. For us short-sleeve wearing rebels everywhere I sound the call to arms. (Get it?) Defend our right to show off our guns! (I'm on a roll). Unless of course someone at The Source doesn't know how to spell? Do you think he meant "bear" arms? Nah. Nothing that comes out of Axiom would ever be wrong. Right?

Obvio!

For those of you who have been struggling with what to get me for my birthday, might I suggest the Obvio 012E? Designed by Lotus Racing and built in Brazil, this little guy is my mid-life crisis dream car. Fully electric, tiny, fast and cool! Who says being green has to be dull? Look at the specs on this little monster. Vehicle Performance Range: 200 - 240 miles Acceleration: 0 to 60 < 4.5 secs with 200HP's Top Speed: 120 mph Charge Rate: 30 minutes for 20 - 50 miles Full Charge: 2 hrs (fast), 5 hrs (normal) iMobileCarputer: GPS, Internet and Email Access, Personal Organizer, Satellite Radio, Digital Media Player, DVD Player, and other Vehicle Controls. Wheels and Tires Exclusive Obvio ! Design/ Mangels Alloy Wheels, 19" x 7" front and 19" x 8.5" rear, Continental tires 215x45x19 front and 245x40x19 rear. Accessories & Equipment Air Conditioning, CarputeriMobile System, Alloy Wheels, Power Brakes, Electric Heater, Power Windows/Locks/Mirrors, Leather Seats The suggested retail price? $59K! Out of my price range, but a guy can dream!

Devil's Advocates

David Martin continues to do outstanding investigative journalism at The Pitch. His latest piece entitled "Devil's Advocates" details two lawyers from the firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon that are also elected representatives in the Missouri State House of Representatives. Week after week it seems David breaks some new story about corruption, wrong-doing or wasting tax dollars. The question I have to ask, "Is anybody listening?"