And what’s called “central” is not. In fact, for downtown workers accustomed to voting at the courthouse, there’s nowhere to vote throughout the early-voting period, which continues through Friday, October 30, apart from provision for “mobile voting” that appears at different locations each day. The county site listing early-voting locations available throughout the period lists the county offices on Airport and the north Fiesta Mart as “central.” And with our library austerity closings, Ruiz is not available on Fridays or Sundays (Carver’s available during abbreviated hours today and the Zaragoza Rec center is not available at all today). Despite these limitations, we saw a line today when we voted, and observed that the tally sheet showed a large turnout yesterday. On Election Day itself, November 3, it’s best to check to make sure that your customary precinct polling-place has not been consolidated with that of another. It’s never a bad idea to consult the nonpartisan voter guide prepared by our local League of Women Voters. Local political blog Burnt Orange Report has prepared a helpful explanation of the constitutional-amendment process and also a roundup of endorsements. Even though most of us, depending on our location, will not be electing officeholders, this is an important election.

Today’s WSJ puts us right up there in the top five cities reported to be most attractive to recent college graduates, along with D.C., Seattle, NYC, and Portland: “The Next Hot Youth-Magnet Cities,” byline Sue Shellenbarger, with six panelists involved in the selection.

The methodology is explained on line, and the comparative metrics include unemployment rate, cost-of-living index, education levels, and median household income. Of the top five, our cost of living is reported to be the lowest.

The reported downside: “Some panelists have doubts about how strongly Austin will rebound after the recession.” The print version is illustrated by a photo of Lucy in Disguise on South Congress.

Or perhaps, since it’s the library we’re talking about, we should say “outsourcing to the patron.” At any rate, ever since the central library reopened, the number of clerks has been cut and the number of do-it-yourself stations has been increased.

Under the new set-up, Austinites must check out their own DVDs and CDs within a sort of corral and using a patron-operated scanner that doesn’t work with the older cards. Today, we saw several people scampering out of the enclosure and over to the checkout desk that has real people; they did this because their cards, like mine, are useless with the new scanners.

Another change instituted between the time the Faulk library closed and the time it reopened, in addition to the security cameras everywhere, was the end of having clerks bring reserved or on-hold items to the checkout desk.

They’ve been placed in a bookcase that has only one shelf at a convenient level. The person who placed the hold is required to pull the item from the shelf. The lower the shelf, the more difficult it is to read the name on the slip and the more difficult it is to retrieve the item.

I’ve complained every time I’ve seen a person of age down on hands and knees at these shelves. The difficulty is especially great for those wearing skirts. Getting down is not easy; returning to an upright position is beyond the powers of some.

Today, I noticed a brand-new and very low scooting stool on casters. This is marginally better, since it eliminates knee-walking, but I still observed people needing assistance to arise. My guess is that I was not the sole complainer about these shelves.

Beginning October 1, if on-hold items are not retrieved or cancelled within ten days of notification of their availability, the patron will be assessed a one-dollar fee per item. (That’s fine if the patron receives notification that the item is there, but that is not always the case.) The other change starting on that date is that DVDs and VHS tapes may be borrowed for three weeks and not renewed.

Boggy Creek Farm is featured in today’s WSJ and described more as a prime historic property of substantial size than as a working organic farm: “Where Whole Foods Shops: A historic house on Boggy Creek Farm grows organically in Austin” (byline Katy McLaughlin).

[Before going on to say more about Boggy Creek, since Whole Foods is mentioned in the Boggy Creek subtitle, I'd like to be clear that IMHO it's no accident that most Austinites have not bothered to comment or blog generally about the recent John Mackey opinion piece on health care, also in the WSJ. Enough of us know people associated with WhoFoo or even Mr. Mackey himself to have formed opinions about this piece. It is of some interest that there are those around the U.S. generally who have not taken kindly to what Mr. M wrote and who state that, as a consequence, they intend to take their business elsewhere (see Facebook page, e.g.).]

Included in the article on Boggy Creek Farm are detailed physical descriptions of the old farmhouse, plus the price originally paid for the farm, what it might have brought at the height of the boom, and speculation about what might be a probable sale price at this time. There’s some discussion of agricultural productivity, coupled with a passing mention of what the per-hour return on the owners’ labor has in the past been calculated to be.

The article in print form is accompanied by three black-and-white photographs; the on-line version shares with us a nifty little color slideshow. Let us hope that the appearance of this article is not a consequence of our drought.

There’s always more to learn about Austin. Here are two info-bits new to me, and maybe to you:

• Austin Community College offers a personal fitness trainer program. In an article about the role of community colleges generally, ACC is highlighted and there are photo-illustrations showing several Austinites enrolled there. Maybe you’ll recognize someone you know. The print version shows at least a dozen identifiable Austinites. The article appears in the July 20 issue of Time magazine (”Can Community Colleges Save the U.S. Economy?,” dateline Austin, byline Laura Fitzpatrick).
• Austin is the headquarters of an entity known as the Distressed Property Institute. This was learned from an article in the August issue of Smart Money about how the current market has changed things for real-estate agents: “Do-It-All Deal Makers,” byline Brad Reagan). The current issue is not yet on line, but a co-founder of the Austin-based outfit states that more than 12,000 agents will pay to take a two-day course in selling so-called “distressed properties,” reportedly up from 1,400 last year. Paying for and attending the course apparently enables a person to call use the Institute’s proprietary “Certified Distressed Property Expert Designation.” The linked site shows locations of future course sessions, presumably predicted centers of short sales.

• The Austin Monthly June issue in its guide for newcomers recommends Web sites, and, under the heading for Austin life, names Austin Metblogs as a resource.
• The June 29 issue of Business Week, with a cover story “Housing Market 2012,” highlights the Austin real-estate market, naming it “the price magnet” and describing it as “affordable” and therefore attractive to price-conscious buyers from elsewhere. In fact, the on-line version of the segment devoted to our town is entitled “Affordable Austin.” Sound like anyplace you know?
• Metropolitan Home employs Austin’s SOL development as an example of sustainable subdivisions, highligting the work of Chris Krager and KRDB, his design-build firm (”The New Village Green,” byline Karrie Jacobs).
• The Atlantic calls its current July/August issue “the ideas issue” or “15 Ways to Fix the World,” and Austinite Bruce Selcraig has something to say about long-distance high-speed rail travel.

I’ve skipped over national coverage of the high-profile Voting Rights Act opinion handed down by the Supreme Court, as well as the sad story of the couple who paid for health insurance but found it to be lacking when they needed it and the results of an appeal in an Austin murder case that continues to make news, plus the lighter story of the couple who married frugally by serving sno-cones to guests at the wedding reception.

Illustrated with the distinctive sun-and-moon sign of El Sol y La Luna, this year’s U.S. News 2009 top-ten list of best places to retire includes Austin. We’re placed in such company as Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Loveland, Colorado, so I’m not sure it’s an honor.

We’re not included in the best places for diners-out to retire, though.

The criteria for this year’s selections are said to be affordable communities with strong economies and plenty of entertainment. We’re cited for our music venues and our “warm climate.” Coming in for special mention are the Lions Muny golf course, Barton Springs, and the nearby Hill Country.

Those of us who are home owners, or at least pay for our utilities directly, will have received a “newsletter” with our latest bill. However, I’m aware that Austin has a high number of apartments and other rentals where the occupant doesn’t get directly billed by Austin Energy. So Figured it would be worth a quick recap of some important points.

Energy Efficiency Oridinace

Starts June 1st. This will impact sellers and potentially buyers of homes, apartments and non-residential properties more than 10-years old, which will in most cases be required to have energy audit before they are sold. Details and a list of auditors can be found here.

Ozone

We’ve never really had four seasons in Austin, at least that’s what people I talk to tell me. There’s just summer and “not summer”. You can guess when it’s spring, it’s not-summer and the plants all come alive. Still, one of the new seasons seems to be ozone season. This runs from April 1st to October 31st, which means it just about trumps summer, giving Austins’ seasons as not-summer and ozone.

Well Austin Energy take time to point out that Austin is going to be added to the EPA “non-attainment” list for ozone compliance. There are though serious implications for this. It means “potentially  expensive regulatory consequences such as emissions offsets before new companies with potential emissions can locate” in Austin.

Austin Energy advise:

• Plan errands efficiently to avoid extra driving.
• Reduce idling. Skip the drive-thru and turn your engine off when waiting for someone. [Triman: hopefully someone will tell the coach/buses that sit and idle for hours downtown.]
• Keep your car tuned up – reduces emissions and saves gasoline.
• Refuel after 6:00pm. – prevents gas vapors released during pumping from “cooking” all day.[Triman: Huh?]

You can get the latest newsletter in English here and the Spanish version here.

• The Shoreline no longer uses “Grill” in its name. There’s a new chef, but I’m happy to report that the gumbo and the crabcakes are as fine as ever and, most important of all, chocolate intemperance survives on the dessert menu.
• Food trailers continue to proliferate on South Congress across East Monroe from the Congress Avenue Baptist Church. The Mighty Cone is an attraction not yet tried, but it’s at the top of the list.
• KLRU seems to have abandoned its analog viewers already, so no more Little Dorrit for this household, and no more contributions sent to the station, either. Those with older televisions now see what’s being broadcast in a tiny window only. The station has announced that it shut off its analog signal this week, on April 16.
• Your Living Room, the store selling contemporary home furnishings at 220 South Congress, just over the bridge from downtown, is going out of business. Watch for the final sales. It’s been fourteen years. The store’s Web presence seems to be gone. I worry about the old Tropic Shop neon sign.

Over on austin360.com, Omar Gallaga is reporting that Time Warner Cable have annolunced the tiers they are going to use for capping and overage-charging for their broadband cable offering. For the last couple of weeks this has been a hot topic on the interweb thingy, and has generated piles of bile, some useful analysis but much of it missing the point.

There is no doubt, there are out there amongst us interweb users, some leaches and obsessive, compulsive overachievers. In opposition to the TWC changes people are marching out all sorts of claims and justifications for being big-data users, why they are the “bleeding edge”. What they do today, will be the norm’ in a few years time. Well, that maybe, but probably not.

Time Warner Cables business model is under attack on all fronts. They are doing what all nascent monopolies do when under attack, they push the boundaries of what can get away with. This usually more broad in America than in Europe, because America is the great defender of free enterprise, freedom of choice, and commercial innovation. No amount of facebook pages is going to change that.

Only, we just don’t have any of those things really when it comes to digital communication. Cellphones here in the US are restrictive, expensive, fragmented and fine examples of monopolistic practices. Some of the best cellphones in the world are now crippled when sold outside the US, so that when they are used in the US, they don’t get full network, 3G speeds, meaning the “network” operators can charge and tie you to multi-year contracts, oh and it’s OK coz we get “free” phones.

Cable TV here in the US has hardly changed in 30-years. The addition of HD has been done in a haphazard, fragmented way with no real innovation. Unlike Europe where broadcast, often free to air, HD offers many more channels and multi-screen viewing, interactive services etc. See for example what Sky and the BBC have done with that little red-button in the UK. Why is it for example, that when watching a “home shopping channel” you have to dial 1-800 and wait, press buttons and speak to a person? Broadband, is bi-directional you know…

When the cutover to broadcast HDTV happens here in the US, it will be a pure swap, no new advance services, just the same old channels, mostly showing repeat programs(not in HD) and thats about it. What most Americans will find is that the signal will break up frequently during rain storms and other bad weather thats affects b roadcast quality. Unlike conventional TV(non-digital) though, you won’t get a degraded picture, you’ll get nothing at all.

And so, back to Time Warner Cable. I’m a triple play subscriber. I don’t watch much TV, mostly I record a few shows per week and only watch them on Sunday evenings. I have my home phone service through TWC, although heaven knows why. No one has the number, and I don’t use it for outgoing calls, especially now I don’t work from home. Many people don’t have “home” phones now, they use their Cellphones, I should join them, except my cellphone has no docking station and really isn’t suitable for a 2-hour conference call using any kind of headset.

Here is another example of lack of innovation in the US. When was the last time you saw a phone in the US that was your cellphone when outside the home, and when inside the home, used the broadband service to connect rather than wireless, and allowed you to switch seamlessly between the two as you walk out of the house, without dropping the call?

I think that in the 2.5 years I’ve had my TWC service, I’ve watched maybe 5 on-demand movies. This is an area that most people focus on when analyzing the effects of broadand usage capping by TWC. It’s clear, isn’t it?

TWC have every reason to stop you downloading legally or otherwise, movies from the Internet or watching them online. If they can stop or price that to discourage, THEY can charge you for the same movies, either through subscription channels, or on-demand.

So, lets recap. TWC offers four services:

- Basic cable inc. subscription channels
- Basic internet cable broadband connectivity, soon to be tiered by usage
- Landline telephone service(wired)
- On-demand movies(chargeable)

The threats to their business are:
- Declining use of basic cable, subscription channels and on-demand movies because people get their entertainment elsewhere.
- Telephone service is under attack from cellphones and VOIP, Vonage, Skype etc.
- Basic broadband is underattack from “unlimited” subscription and pre-pay cellphone data plans, 802.11 wireles in coffee shops, down at Austin City hall etc.
- Basic cable is stagnent, uninteresting, overloaded with cheap promotional shows and home shopping networks and 24-hour news channels that basically make the news up as they go along.
- Consumers are also increasingly savy, well you’d hope so. What many realize is that it’s all data. The cable you watch, the telephone calls you make, the on-demand movies, even if you do everything the TWC way, it all arrives and leaves your house as data.

So, here we have a high-noon showdown. The customers don’t understand why part of their data service should be metered and priced seperately from the other parts of the same data connection. The cable company, in this case, TWC, is playing the typical, dumb, fat and happy monopoly that can and will charge as it sees fit, easy things first and trying to paint a small section of their customers as the problem.

TWC should be forced to compete for my business, not get it on a plate. After all, if I don’t subscribe, I can’t get anything back for the ugly, 1920’s style cabling and poles that litter my street, having to have the trees cut back to protect their golden-egg.

First, TWC should be forced to unbundle it’s TV service. The cable channel selections should be offered in more flexible groupings or by individual channels. It is simply way past time this should have been done. I’d pay a premium for about 8-channels total and would prefer more bandwidth than more channels.

Second, the broadband service offered by TWC should be split into two. A bulk data backbone service and a last-mile service. The bulk data backbone service has to be sold, on a tiered/metered service to companies that handle the last-mile service. TWC is more than welcome to compete as a last-mile provider. Yep, this is effectively turning TWC backbone into a “utility” by the back door.

Third, irrespective of the first two, the home telephone service offered by TWC should be unbunlded. If the first two recommendations are adopted, this becomes largely irrelevant as the last-mile providers will need to provide advanced services, or just compete in race-to-the-bottom cheap pricing. If race-to-the-bottom pricing is the only innovation, then overtime TWC will just rebuild it’s monopoly through acquisition. This is exactly what allowed AT&T to come back from near death to semi-monopolist(and yes, I know it’s not the same AT&T and it didn’t really come back, it’s just branding, but the point remains.)

Fourth, again irrespective of the first three, TWC needs to design, develop and deliver REAL digital cable offerings. This isn’t just the same old channels and a 1980’s style programming guide sent down a digital channel. It’s interactive TV; it’s online HD games delivered without a PC or gaming system; it’s an interactive YouTube channel; it’s interactive news; it’s bidirectional video calling; it’s something that America and especially here in Austin we could be proud of.

Arguing about broadband caps/tiering, overage pricing is just missing the point, and will end up in tears in 10-years time, TWC will be the next GM looking for bailouts to subsidize it’s “essential” services. And please Omar, suggesting stimulus money now for TWC is just rubbing salt in.