Okay, this is somewhat off topic, although I do all of my blogging using Dragon NaturallySpeaking (DNS) voice dictation software.

Anyway, a lot of people I know tried voice dictation a few years ago and gave up on it, since it wasn’t that good, especially IBM’s Via Voice. But the DNS software is really kickass now.

Read more

Okay, this is somewhat off topic, although I do all of my writing and blogging using Dragon NaturallySpeaking (DNS) voice dictation software, which is why you will occasionally see an odd-looking mistake from the PC “mis-hearing” me.

Anyway, a lot of people I know tried voice dictation a few years ago and gave up on it, since it wasn’t that good. A lot of people had a bad experience with IBM’s Via Voice system. But the DNS software is really kickass now.

Read more

My mother happened to take Amtrak down to DC Friday — the day they were handing out trees to offset train travel, which is how I heard of this dubious program.

My mother received a transparent plastic cylinder containing a small Colorado Blue Spruce with the label “plant this tree and offset the carbon output from 14,000 miles of train travel.”

Yes, like the Pope, Amtrak never got the “trees are lousy offsets” memo from here or Gristmill. Fortunately, Amtrak is the energy efficient way to travel inland, and trees are great things to have — though it is a bit odd handing out the state tree of Colorado, which is native to the West, in DC.

Anyway, the plastic cylinder directs us to “Learn more @ whistlestop.Amtrak.com” where we meet “Arte the environmental engineer,” probably the lamest corporate environmental mascot ever. Arte is named for Amtrak Recognizes the Environment — yes, we all recognize the environment as it whizzes by us at 60 mph. More strangely, Arte is a typical leaf, but the Blue Spruce is an evergreen conifer.

Well, at least Amtrak isn’t handing out iron for ocean fertilization.

This offset business has given me my 15 minutes of fame. I was extensively quoted in a recent article on the subject, “Are green-minded folks getting their money’s worth?” But first, here’s a supporting view from the piece:

A spokesman for the Sierra Club says the group does not suggest members buy carbon offsets.

“I think it’s wonderful that people are thinking about their carbon footprint,” says Josh Dorner. “But the carbon-offsets market is completely unregulated, so it’s questionable whether it is really doing anything to reduce global warming. So what we recommend is that people take other steps in their life, such as driving a smaller car or unplugging appliances when they are not in use, that are verifiably productive.”

Here’s the part I’m quoted in:

Read more