Things that need to be invented

(only the first 100 people can read this so I can still patent this stuff)

I really, really, need a cheap thermometer that will send the temperature
signal to my computer and plot it into excel to make temperature
charts of my house. Thermometers already send signals from outdoors and we have the plotting for pH meters at work, so this should be wrapped up soon.

The invention of that will lead to my Quality Sleep Alarm Clock

(This will exist someday, so don't laugh)

1. You will tell the alarm clock the latest you could possibly wake up the next day (let's say 7:30am).

2. At night you will wear a cigarette patch-like device on your arm. It
will record your body temperature and send it to your alarm clock.

3. When you fall asleep your body temperature drops a little bit (by
sweating which is why wearing an antiperspirant at night works super
well if you don't want residue during the day).

4. Once you fall asleep (some nights it takes me hours) the clock will know due to the drop in your temperature. It will then calculate how many full sleep cycles you can get in before you need to get up and set your alarm for that time.

One day you fall asleep easily at 10pm and (assuming 90 min cycles) the clock has you wake up at exactly 7:00am after 6 sleep cycles.

The next night you toss and turn and fall asleep at 12:30am and the clock wakes you up at 6:30am after only 4 full cycles. The theory being waking up after a full sleep cycle will leave you more awake than sleeping another hour and not getting another
full cycle in.

If you wake up during the middle of the night (luckily Rachel knows I never do this) it should be able to reset once you fall back asleep.

The clock could also be set to "Nap" mode if you want a 20 min power nap or a full 90 min nap.

Going one step further, if a husband and wife fall asleep at different times
(I try to minimize our gap by tossing and turning until Rachel wakes up
threatening me with a punch in the neck) you could have the alarm clock
use the new technology of Directed Sound (Google it) to only send the wake up alarm to one pillow.

Brookstone or Sharper Image?

What do you pay in taxes?

From CNN.com

Speaking to several hundred supporters of the U.S. Senator from New York, Buffett revealed his puzzlement that he was taxed at a lower rate than many of the lesser-paid individuals working for his company.

Buffett said he makes $46 million a year in income and is only taxed at a 17.7 percent rate on his federal income taxes. By contrast, those who work for him, and make considerably less, pay on average about 32.9 percent in taxes - with the highest rate being 39.7 percent.

To emphasize his point, Buffett offered $1 million to the audience member who could show that one of the nation's wealthiest individuals pays a higher tax rate than one of their subordinates.

"I'm willing to bet anyone in this room $1 million that those rates are less than the secretary has to pay," said Buffett.

Emergency

Someone alret Karen ASAP:

As a life long fan of candy, I have been shocked in the recent weeks when I could not find a single roll of original Spree.

Not at Kroger or Target.
Not at any of the following Airports:
Dayton
Atlanta
St Lucia

Nowhere! The best Rachel has been able to find for me is mini chewy spree (which will do for now).

If they have stopped production let me know and I'll raise some capital to buy Spree.

Game Over

You may notice a lot of single ladies crying this weekend...

Generation Debt

My latest book, Generation Debt by Anya Kamenetz is pretty good.

I didn't know it when I bought it, but the book was written by a 24 year old.
I couldn't believe she was only 24 and had already written a book.
Then I flipped over to the back to see that she was nominated for a Pulitzer for her work on Generation Debt.

The book is very organized, which makes it easy to skip to the next topic you
want to read. I never skip around in books but I had to on this one.
She starts out talking about how expensive college has become and has a
lot of great facts about it and the legal history that led to college
being so crazy expensive. But then she follows it up w/ about 5-6
personal stories, and after 2-3 you fell like you are being beaten over
the head. "I got it college is more expensive now, let's move on."

Best Fact from the book so far:
Part of Bush's "No Child Left Behind Act" involved a sneaky piece of
legislation that released the home phone numbers of all US students to
the military for recruiting.

I can't wait for the chapter called "Federal Rip-offs: Deficits, Social Security, Medicare"