Wednesday

Let's honor 4 as Daughter of the Day.  She gets to start her weekend today.  This pic of course was from last Summer at Tahoe.  How was that 10 months ago?  (I did just book a ticket for an early-August visit there...a three day weekend...flying out of Chicago direct to Reno.  Hate to do the drive to ORD, but the dinero difference was enough, and the direct flight is good.)

As I mentioned on Twitter, I did receive my TSA Known Traveler Number this week that should keep me in the pre-approved line at airport check-in.  The process was not too difficult.  There was a short on-line application, and then an appointment at a Moline business-services office where I had to bring my passport and get finger-printed.  $85 for a five-year period.

Years ago, the finger-printing requirement for the investment securities business required an appointment with a local police department... and you had to do the old ink-on-the-hands process.  Yuck!  I did that for initial licensing in the late '90's and then for the subsequent renewals in the early 2000's as well.  The last couple of times though, I went to a Davenport retail location for letterhead, forms, cards, etc., that had a contract with the regulators to provide the service with the use of digital technology on a print-reader machine.  Whether its x-ray's, fingerprints or legal documents, once they are digitalized, they get run through the system in a flash.  And the fingerprint technology is now the iPhone lock, right?  How far are we from eye-scan identifications?

These privately-owned commercial offices that do this contact work for state or federal government agencies are just out to find small streams of revenue.  They don't own or rent the equipment, and they are already doing other sales or service at their location...so their marginal costs are near zero.   But my guess is that their share of the $85 that I paid is no more than $10-15.  Pretty hard to get rich at that rate.  Then again, there is very little skill involved in processing the paperwork and doing the prints.  But in low-density population areas like the QCA, the income stream has got to be no more than a trickle.

Moving on...

I did go to the bike shop last night to exchange the tires on my ride.  The tires on the bike had been the original equipment last year when I got the bike in exchange for the Lamond that was damaged on the return from Sicily.  At the time, I questioned the sustainability of those "racing" tires compared to the more functional rubber that I had been using for the last several years.  The bike dealer, of course, said the racing tires were fine.  And they probably are.  Still, by going to the more substantial Continental Gatorskins, my mind will be more at ease.  No guarantees against a flat, but I'll take my chances.

In the When Pigs Fly news, I find my self in agreement with Bob Costas.  Wow!  He has come out (no...not that way.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.) with criticism of ESPN giving Bruce/Caitlyn the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at their self-absorbed awards show coming up in the near future.  Actually, ESPN and Sports Illustrated are in a race to see who can be the MPCP (Most Politically Correct Publication) in today's media climate.  I mean, really, a courage award?  I'm surprised that he/she will have time to accept the recognition between takes of the reality show that has to have been in the planning stages months ago.  Excuse me while I barf.

The heat is up and my air is on here on Maplecrest.  Could be a warm ride come Saturday. 

Looks like the folks on Harvest Path have a handle on vacation already.

Make it a Good Wednesday in your neighborhood.

BCOT