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Kratom Powder: Unlocking An Ethnobotanical Powerhouse

Published on April 5, 2017

Photo of Kratom leaves to be turned into powder

We can learn a lot from what has come before us, with herbal health aids passed down through the centuries unaided by the direct-to-consumer marketing campaigns of today. Word of mouth was how one generation spread the news to the next about which plants were helpful, and which should be avoided.

With the advent of the Internet age, word of mouth is still an important tool for spreading the news about beneficial plants, and it is largely responsible for the growing use of the leaves of a tree that grows in Southeast Asia.

The leaves of the Kratom tree, Mitragyna speciosa, have been chewed by indigenous people for hundreds of years to provide energy and a sense of well-being. That method of ingestion is still used today, but a more popular route is the consumption of kratom powder. There are many companies like Club13.com. You can also find more on many review websites about Kratom.

The dried leaves of the Kratom tree are ground down into a fine powder, which can then be mixed into a favorite fruit juice (grapefruit juice is a good choice for maximum absorption) or put into capsules for even easier consumption.

On Internet bulletin boards and online forums, users of Kratom share their experience, and the benefits they report are amazing and powerful.

They include:

An energy boost
Pain relief
Soothes the nerves
A sense of well-being
Increased concentration
A feeling of euphoria and optimism
Lowers blood pressure
Eases symptoms of depression
Boosts cognitive performance
Kratom powder has also been used to help those addicted to opiates like prescription and pain medications get off those drugs. Kratom is not an opiate but does attach itself to the same receptors that opiates use to affect behavior.

There are three main forms of the Kratom tree in use:

Raw Kratom leaf – Kratom leaf has been used for hundreds of years in Southeast Asia to provide energy and a sense of well-being. The leaf is usually chewed without swallowing it, which releases the active alkaloids in the leaf.

Kratom powder – Dried raw Kratom leaves are ground into a fine powder. Users can make the powder from leaves or buy them from reputable online vendors in bulk or capsule form.

Kratom extract – Extracts are made by boiling leaves in liquid down to a resin, which is then ground up into powder.

Kratom powder is considered safe when used at responsible serving sizes. At high does, nausea can occur.

A member of the coffee family, Kratom is not considered any more addictive than a cup of morning Joe.

Serving sizes of Kratom powder depend on the preferences of the user and the effect they are looking to produce.

A small serving size of about four grams is enough allegedly to produce a stimulant effect, while larger serving sizes of nine grams can produce a calming effect similar to a sedative some individuals have reported.

Kratom powder and other Kratom products are legal in the United States, with the exception of a handful of states. It is legal in Seattle, Washington.

SpaceX Plans to Send Two People on a trip around the Moon

Published on March 28, 2017

SpaceX has plans to send two private citizens around the Moon. The pair approached Elon Musk and SpaceX to prepare for this trailblazing adventure. This mission presents an opportunity for humans to return to deep space for the first time in 45 years. They will travel faster and further into the Solar System than any before them.

The trip around the Moon would take roughly one week. The mission would skim the surface of the Moon, go further out into deep space, and loop back to Earth, reaching approximately 300,000 to 400,000 miles. The launch is set tentatively in 2018 with the SpaceX yet untested Falcon Heavy rocket. It will be a private mission with two paying customers. The passengers are “very serious” about the trip and have already paid a “significant deposit,” according to Musk.

The two individuals going on the trip, who weren’t named, already know each other. They will begin initial training for the trip later this year. They wanted their identities to remain private for the time being. It was also stated that neither of these space explorers are from the Hollywood realm. Musk declined to comment on the exact cost of the trip, but said it was “comparable” or a little more than the cost of a crewed mission to the International Space Station- let’s just say it’s no small price tag for a trip around the moon. These trips are costly to the individual traveling to space, but could greatly benefit SpaceX. Musk commented that regular private trips like this could significantly impact SpaceX revenue for future explorations and innovation. “There’s a market for at least one or two of these per year,” Musk said, adding that lunar flyby missions might eventually constitute 10% to 20% of SpaceX’s revenue each year.

The passengers going on this expedition know that the risks are high. Musk said the flight would be on a self-directed spacecraft that needs no astronauts on board. It would be necessary for the two paying travelers to undergo “extensive training before going on the mission.” Musk commented that Dragon is designed to be an autonomous vehicle. The space explorers would be launched from the historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center late next year on SpaceX’s Dragon 2 vehicle on a Falcon Heavy rocket. That’s the same launch pad used by NASA for Apollo missions to the moon, as well as many space shuttle missions, including the last one. SpaceX flew its Falcon 9 from the KSC pad for the first time earlier in February.

NASA and SpaceX have a good working relationship. In a statement, NASA said it commends its industry partners for reaching higher. “We will work closely with SpaceX to ensure it safely meets the contractual obligations to return the launch of astronauts to US soil and continue to successfully deliver supplies to the International Space Station,” the agency said. SpaceX said that Nasa has encouraged privately crewed missions, saying that through them “long-term costs to the government decline and more flight reliability history is gained, benefiting both government and private missions.” NASA has financed much of SpaceX’s spacecraft development, and Musk said the agency has priority. If NASA wants to put its astronauts on the Falcon Heavy’s first moon flight, he said, SpaceX will comply. But the Falcon Heavy has not been through NASA’s rigorous reviews to be judged safe for astronauts.

SpaceX is not the only company trying to race to space. Rival spaceflight company Blue Origins, headed by Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, has also announced plans to eventually take people and cargo to low Earth orbit with its own reusable rockets. In 2001, billionaire Dennis Tito became the world’s first space tourist for an estimated $20 million, booking a trip on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station, and about half a dozen others followed him into orbit. Space explorations seems to be heating back up after decades of little to no new exploration.

Many details about the Moon mission have yet to be made public. Mainly the names of the passengers, the reason they are so interested in going, what spacesuits and equipment will be necessary, whether the Federal Aviation Administration will give SpaceX the go-ahead, how the passengers will prepare, what emergency support and plans are in place, etc. The lack of information from this announcement has made some experts uneasy.

Chris Newman, an expert on space policy and law at the University of Sunderland in the UK, said that the aggressive timeline and budget are “extremely ambitious, and it remains to be seen if the practical difficulties associated with human spaceflight can match this ambition.” Some have expressed doubt about Musk’s aggressive timelines often falling short.

On the other hand, some experts have reacted more optimistically. Phil Larson, a former Obama administration space policy adviser and former SpaceX employee, said, “It will act as a stepping stone for the eventual human exploration of Mars, which is everyone’s ultimate goal.” Larson recognizes Musk’s timing is opportune “as a new administration grapples with their plans for NASA.” It seems that many of Musk’s goals are dependent on the upcoming decisions and favor of the new administration. “This goes to show that America’s commercial space industry is ready to go beyond Low Earth Orbit not in 10 years, but now,” he said. Dale Ketcham, chief of strategic alliances for Space Florida, said Musk’s announcement was somewhat of a surprise in the space community. “I do think most of us didn’t see it coming, but maybe we should have,” Ketcham said, referring to Musk’s reputation for innovation and challenging the status quo. Ketcham called Musk’s announcement “very exciting,” and said it will help drive competition among NASA and commercial space companies that could lead to an accelerated timeline for space exploration.

Whether you think it is a good or bad idea to send two people on a trip around the moon, it is hard to deny that the prospect is quite exciting.

You can follow Elon Musk on Instagram or his much more popular Twitter.

Elon Musk and the Mission to the Moon

Published on March 14, 2017

Elon Musk is one of the most ambitious entrepreneurs on the planet. Most CEO’s or business owners struggle to juggle one company, and Elon Musk has his hand in multiple companies and ambitious projects. SpaceX started as one of those ambitious ideas. When Musk announced that he was going to colonize Mars someday, most people were very skeptical. Musk at the time was known for helped to create PayPal and his involvement in Tesla. So when he started his company, SpaceX, industry experts were quick to point out that Musk doesn’t know the first things about space travel. SpaceX was created to build cheaper, reusable rockets designed for interplanetary space travel in order to help realize his dream to colonize Mars.

SpaceX has grown into a company that is changing the way that the world approaches space travel. SpaceX has already successfully engineered and launched their own spaceship and now they announced that they are going to send two astronauts to the moon. If successful, this space mission will be the first time that the people have gone as far as the moon since the famed Apollo missions.

SpaceX announced that two unnamed individuals have paid in advance to take this historical trip to the moon in the second half of 2018. In a company statement, “Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration,” This feat has not been attempted in 45 years so this trip to the moon hopefully will mean the revitalization of the space program.

Although their names have not been released, Musk has stated that both individuals have paid a significant deposit in advance for the trip and that they are very serious about the trip. The only thing that Musk will say is that, “It’s nobody from Hollywood.” The mystery has led to a lot of speculation. The two individuals will be taking the Dragon spacecraft. There have been many names that have been thrown around but no definite identification has been made yet. SpaceX and Elon Musk have been keeping the names tightly under wraps. He says that he does not have permission to release those names.

The proposed plan is to travel to the moon in the SpaceX designed and produced Dragon 2 capsule and to also bring supplies to the International Space Station. The Falcon Heavy rocket will be used for the mission. The mission should take about a week and there will be no landing on the moon. Lift-off is slated to take place at the Kennedy Space Center’s historic Pad 39A near Cape Canaveral. This is the same pad that was used for the Apollo program for its lunar missions. According to Musk, the would-be astronauts will travel to Moon and back around the Earth covering about 300,000 to 400,000 miles.

Even though SpaceX has made several successful trips to the International Space Station, the space community has raised some obvious concerns about sending two individuals into space who are potentially untrained. Even though the passengers will have to have some type of training , it is doubtful that in the short time frame that Musk announced, that the potential astronauts will receive the full training that traditional astronauts receive. The mission is scheduled to take place in early 2018 and that is only a year and a half away. To put it into perspective, the NASA Astronaut Candidate program has some very rigid and intense physical and educational requirements. Educational requirements include a bachelor’s degree in “engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics, and that degree must by followed by 3 years of related, progressively responsible, professional experience or at least 1,000 pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. Also, the astronauts should have 20/20 vision in each eye.

Even though the names of the future space travelers have not been released, it is highly unlikely that either person has the same qualifications that NASA requires for their candidates. NASA also requires a two-year training program once the candidates are selected and Musk’s time frame does not allow for a two-year program. Former Chief Scientist for the NASA Human Research Program, Mark Shelhamer, expressed his doubts about the announcement. He told the popular online publication Gizmodo that, “I applaud Musk’s efforts and his enthusiasm and what he’s accomplished,” Shelhamer told Gizmodo. “But sending two amateurs to the moon in a new spacecraft on a new rocket, in less than two years? It won’t happen.”

Musk did address some of the concerns that experts have voiced about this future moon mission. In interviews he gave post announcement, he does not seem worried about the concerns brought up by industry experts. He acknowledges that the mission is risky but is very confident about the mission and SpaceX’s rockets. He also stated that the two potential space travelers understand the risk that they will be taking if they go through with this moon mission. During a phone conference with reporters he said, “They’re certainly not naive, and we’ll do everything we can to minimize that risk, but it’s not zero. But they’re coming into this with their eyes open,” said Musk, adding that the pair will receive “extensive” training before the flight.

Musk also would not say what he meant by “extensive” training nor would he say how it would compare to that training that NASA puts their astronauts through. However, Musk told did tell Gizmodo that, “If health checks are good (no heart conditions particularly) and they have good bone density, as there will be some bone density loss in zero g, which is regained on the ground, most of the risk is probably reentry or having to deal with a system malfunction in deep space when passing through the deep shadow of the moon, where we may lose comms briefly,”

Musk, as always, is confident in SpaceX’s latest monumental announcement. He is hoping that this mission will renew America’s interest and excitement in interplanetary space travel. NASA has publicly commended SpaceX on the latest announcement and Musk has said that NASA is more than welcome to join a SpaceX mission if they so choose. This mission is the next big step for SpaceX and one step closer to making Musk’s dream of making interplanetary space travel a reality for everyone.

Seattle To Beijing – And Then We Found An Apartment

Published on March 7, 2017

Seattle To Beijing… and we found an apartment.

A friend said this to me via email, “You know, you’re not selling Beijing to me. You really aren’t. To be fair I never had much of a desire to go there before, but now? Not at all.” I live in Seattle now and going to Beijing China was not on my most popular places to visit list.

That’s not an overexposed shot, that’s the view from my desk. The sky was clear and the view was amazing! According to BeijingAir right now it’s “unhealthy” levels. Last night it was perfectly clear and rated “good”. It comes, it goes, and after a month of living here, it’s as much a part of our life as the weather. Is it sunny out? How’s the air?

I thought about leaving, came close to doing it, until I researched other cities in China (like Harbin in the north) and Beijing isn’t even the worst. It’s not even in the top 10 for worst air quality. I could go south, but then I’d be in areas where Cantonese is spoken on the street, not Mandarin. It’s only six months. It might cause me to have a cold longer or aggravate my allergies, but from everything I’ve read, spending six months here won’t do any permanent damage, even for small children.

So we decided to stay.

Why? I think I’m slowly becoming charmed by Beijing. I like the idea of going somewhere unpopular but culturally important. I feel like I’m on an adventure. If nothing else, I’ll learn a lot. Plus, we finally found an apartment.

I had no idea how unprepared I was to live with an almost 2-year old in a hotel room for a month. He needs space! Or at least warm weather. If he doesn’t have either, he’s kind of a mess… bursting into tears when we put on his clothes, clinging to me, refusing to walk anywhere, just wanting to be at home, with mom, in bed. So I did that. It’s not his fault that I wanted to go to China, so I made myself as flexible and malleable to his desires as possible. We snuggled. I stayed in. I sent Drew out for food and read books while Cole used my body as a jungle gym. Slowly he’s been adjusting, but the biggest breakthrough came when we stepped into our new 2-bedroom apartment. He can be naked. He can run! He can climb things! He can have his cut-up bananas on the sofa and watch cartoons. He can shove his toy cars under the couch and then throw my books off my desk. There’s drawers for hiding mom’s shoes and full bathtub for mini-swims. We’re back in business. We found a lot of new toys he loves since we left most of it in Seattle Washington.

Granted, our apartment hunt took a long time, even if you let me play the “But I’ve got a toddler!” card (you are letting me play that, right?). I had a lot of people giving me advice, but the first thing you should know: I’m cheap.

I really don’t like the idea of paying an agent a month’s rent (or $1000) to find me an apartment I’ll be in for six months. Plus, landlords in China want a few months rent in advance for a year rental. For short term rentals, they often want the entire rent (all six months in our case), plus a month’s rent deposit.

Apartments are kind of expensive here. For us that means at least $1000 but realistically more like $1500. So that’s $9000 for rent, $1500 for the agent, and $1500 for the deposit. Oh and they want that in cash — in this case, all $12000 of it. Which means doing a wire transfer to a bank in China and withdrawing it here (not even sure how that would work) or trying to take out that money via ATM which at $300 withdrawal per day, it would take me 40 days just to get the money on hand (assuming I spent nothing else). I’m sure I could have worked it out if I had to but I wanted to avoid that. Second thing you should know: I’m stubborn.

Finally, Beijing is big. It’s about an hour cab ride from one end of the city to the other, and that’s not even all the way out to the suburbs like Shunyi. I really hate the idea of being stuck somewhere lame, so I wanted to find the perfect place that’s close to everywhere, cheap and has flexible short term living arrangements.

To modify a popular expression in graphic design (cheap, good or fast): There are three things you can have in Beijing:

1. Cheap
2. Good location
3. Clean, nice apartment

Now, pick two.

Third thing about me: I can be obsessive.

So we started in Wangfujing (near the Forbidden City) and moved hotels every couple of days, checking out different areas, coming close to staying in Haidian (near the universities), then perhaps Xidan St. (nice apartment, but located in the middle of a mall), then near Sanlitun (too expensive) and finally Wangjing (Koreatown, a hike from downtown but cheap).

I was determined to find a place that met all three. I’m cheap, stubborn and obsessive. I failed, but I did get a month-long tour of Beijing, and I’m sort of pleased to say I know my way around the different districts pretty well now. (I can also find the silver lining in just about anything).

In the end we went for the big, clean, nicely appointed apartment in Wangjing, in an area that fits us well (mostly locals living here, an art scene at 798 Art Zone and a great market next door) but we’re about a $10 cab ride from any of the tourist-related activities, a concession since I’d still like to visit the old Hutongs more and take some cooking classes, but one I felt the best about making.

It’s a serviced apartment, so we’re renting month to month. It’s still pricey ($1500/mo) but if you factor in agent fees and deposits, then it’s not bad compared to straight rentals for short term leases. (Sorry I won’t share the name of the place until after we leave, but you can find similar places online).

Resources:

Timeout Beijing has an excellent housing guide which is pretty damn accurate about the pros/cons of different areas. Their color-coded map of Beijing is practically a guide to everywhere we looked. The Beijinger is a good resource, but chock-a-block full of scammy listings where the photo isn’t real or the agent does a swap (“Oh that place *just* got rented, but here’s a twice as expensive option”). Craigslist, Homeaway and Roomarama weren’t helpful. For agented rentals there are these sites: Beijing Relocation, Fangeasy, Homelink. Ctrip and Agoda are good for finding hotels, although check both, sometimes the price is cheaper on one or the other. They also list serviced apartments or hotel rooms with kitchens or multiple bedrooms. Student and Beijing resident Nate Nault recently wrote about his experience “Finding My First Apartment Abroad” and Timeout Beijing also has a round up this month called Apartment Horror Stories.

And that, my friends is how I found my Beijing apartment from Seattle. I’m going to take a nap now.

10 Tips for Traveling by Dug-out Canoe in the Amazon Basin

Published on March 4, 2017

If you’re planning an adventurous trip into the Amazon basin of South America, then you might like some tips for traveling by dug-out canoe.

By that I don’t mean those larger motorized boats that are use to ferry tourists to their luxury eco-lodge, but a canoe that’s carved from a single tree, normally with an outboard, that the locals use to get around on the river. This is the sort of thing you might do if you arrange to stay in a local village a little off the tourist trail, such as Sarayaku, where I spent a few days in Ecuador. You may spend a few hours on this kind of canoe, going to your village base, or being taken to other villages or parts of the river to explore. Here are my tips for getting the most out of this kind of journey:

Travel light
Even if you’re doing the grand tour of South America, you’ll need to leave some of your luggage behind at the offices or homes of the people who arrange your trip. The dug-out canoes can take an amazing amount of stuff when they’re packed, but even so, you’ll need to take as little as you need for that part of the trip. If you fly out of your village by light aircraft, you’ll have a strict limit on the weight of your luggage too – so leave that heavy rucksack behind.
Bring snacks to share
Before you head off, stock up in the local town or village on small snacks, such as dried fruit, biscuits and boiled sweets. If you’re in the canoe for a few hours, you may not get a chance to eat properly and it’s always much appreciated when you share what you have with your boatmen – I never knew them to refuse! When you’re feeling damp after a heavy shower, you might need a little sweetening.
Don’t drink too much water
It may sound obvious, but you’ll probably only get the occasional stop on a sand-bank every hour or so. The river bank is not always ideal for a quick stop, with mangroves and thick vegetation, and even then you’ll have to venture into the snake’s home territory for a bit of privacy. Obviously you don’t want to get dehydrated, but probably not the time to have that second cup of coffee before you leave.
Give away what you don’t need at the end
When I travel to these kind of places, I always try to take stuff with me that I’m happy to give away at the end of the trip. Any T-shirts, flip flops, and food that you don’t need to keep at the end of the trip will be appreciated by your boatmen or other locals, who will gift it around their extended family. Depending on what financial arrangement you made at the beginning, you may also want to give a tip to those who especially helped you.
Buy Wellies
Don’t leave for the rain forest without buying wellies at the nearest town. It’s what the well-dressed local will be wearing, and will be essential for jumping in and out of boats onto a muddy shore and for tramping around paths in the rain forest. I never used my walking boots in the rain forest. When you leave the area, just leave them behind for a local to use.
Buy a poncho
I hear you saying, ‘but I have this fantastic, expensive high tech rain jacket’. Ok, but still invest in a cheap poncho for boat trips like this. When the heavens open on you sitting in the canoe, you’ll find your legs and day sack are much better protected than with that expensive rain jacket.
Keep your day sack with you
Be aware that your backpack or luggage will be packed carefully in the bottom of the canoe, wrapped in plastic sheeting and you probably won’t be able to access it until your journey’s end. So make sure you have a day sack to keep with you with all the essentials of food, water, hat, poncho, camera etc that you’ll need on the journey.
Pack in lots of plastic bags
Obviously the rain forest is called that because …it rains….a lot. The air is humid and so you’ll need to protect everything, especially camera gear from steaming up or getting splashed in the canoe. A good supply of plastic bags and bin liners will do the trick. If you want to splash out (pardon the pun), you could invest in those roll-over top waterproof bags that come in all sizes – it’s probably worthwhile if you have lots of expensive camera gear.
Ask for life jackets
If you’re arranging your trip with an established company, then this will be taken care of, but if it’s a one-off that you’ve arrange locally you can’t assume that life jackets will be provided. Better to ask in advance, as even if they’re not to hand, the locals can usually find or borrow them from somewhere. When the river’s fast flowing after heavy rain, you’ll be glad to have that peace of mind. Rather than the balsa logs we were once given when they had no life jackets.
Get to know the locals
Above all, take some time to get to know the locals, your boatmen and their families. They are the guardians of the river and the rain forest and their knowledge and culture will enhance your travels – my memories of trying fried winged ants at breakfast and hearing the stories of the river turtles in the stars will stay with me for ever.

The Future of Tesla Inc.

Published on March 1, 2017

Since its inception, Tesla Inc. has been changing the face of the car industry. The electric car company that once floundered to even get to market is now one of the most respected car companies in the world. American car companies traditionally have been lacking when it comes to producing eco-friendly cars. Foreign car companies have always led the way when it comes to advancement in electric cars. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla was one of the original architects of the Tesla Model S and has been the driving force behind the success that the company has experienced in the last few years. What started as a dream amongst people who are passionate about saving the environment has blossomed into a full-fledged, American born electric car company that is focused on continuing its meteoric rise to the top.

Even though the Tesla Roadster was the first Tesla car to be put to market, Tesla is best known for its Model S. The Model S is a full sized, all electric, five-door luxury sedan that was introduced in 2012. Since its introduction, the Model S has scored high on consumer surveys and tests. It scored a perfect 5.0 on the NHTSA automobile safety-rating test and in March of 2017 the Model S P100D holds the record for the fastest acceleration of any production vehicle from zero to 60 miles per hour. The EPA rated its energy consumption at 237.5 watt-hours per kilometer (38 kWh/100 mi or 24 kWh/100 km). The Model S also became the first electric car to top monthly new car sale rankings in both domestic and foreign markets. The Model S has won many awards since 2012. In 2013 it won the World Green Car of the Year and the Motor Trend Car of the Year. In 2015, the Model S won Car and Driver magazine’s distinct honor of Car of the Century. With the success of the Model S, car enthusiasts and industry experts have been waiting to see what Tesla unveils next.

Model S Photo Tesla — Photo: Model S – Tesla.com

So what is next for Elon Musk inventions and Tesla? With the continued success of the Model S, Tesla definitely was looking to expand their offerings to gain a great market share. Tesla currently caters to a niche market and Musk has always wanted to expand. Tesla announced it’s upcoming lineup for the next 5 years and it is ambitious. The first step for Musk and the Tesla Team is to build the Gigafactory. The Gigafactory is a giant battery factory that will be located in Sparks, Nevada and is in the process of being built. The proposed factory is on track to be the second largest building in the world. The factory, according to Musk, will help cut the costs of producing Tesla car batteries hence lowering the price tag of the car. The factory will be able to create more lithium-ion batteries than all other battery makers. The most impressive aspect of this factory is that it will be completely powered by renewable energy with a focus on recycling. The factory will include recycling capability for old battery packs and will be outfitted with solar panels.

The reasoning behind the Gigafactory is the ability to be able to help produce a less expensive battery for the Tesla cars. The Model S starts at $68,000, which is out of the price range for a majority of families. With the ability to be able to lower the price of making the battery, Tesla has plans to create an affordable model for a wider demographic. The Model 3 was unveiled on March 31st 2016 and Tesla began taking reservations for the car that day. The starting price of Model 3 is $35,000. On the morning of March 31st, thousands of people lined up outside of Tesla dealerships to put down a refundable deposit on a car that they had not even seen yet. Reservations for the car began before the unveiling and it was reported that over 115,000 people had reserved the Model 3 in less than 24 hours. One week after the unveiling Tesla reported 325,000 reservations had been made, which was one of the largest single one-week launch of any product ever. Musk stated that the amount of reservations that were made during that week amounted to about $14 billion in potential sales. Currently, the Model 3 is on track to be delivered during the second half of 2017.

Tesla also is rumored to have another car in development. This car is still shrouded in some mystery. Not much is know about the Model Y. Rumors have been circulating that this car will be the crossover version of the Model 3. Currently, Tesla has yet to delve into the SUV demographic and the Model Y is supposed to reach the SUV market. Reports state that the Model Y is in the later stages of development. Currently what is known about the Model Y is that it will include the semi-autonomous autopilot feature that is found on the current Tesla models. The Model Y will also incorporate Tesla’s solar roof technology. When Tesla and Solar City merged, Musk announced that as a by-product, the Tesla cars will feature a special windshield or roof that will be able to melt snow or defrost ice. There is still a question about how much the Model Y will cost consumers but since the Model 3 will start around $35,000, speculation is that the Model Y will start around the same price.

Outside of the Model 3, the Model Y and the Gigafactory Tesla has also announced plans to boost the range of how far their cars can travel on a single charge. Right now, the record for the Model S is about 497 miles per charge. The official range is 265 miles per charge. The plan is to up the mileage range to 621 miles. Another promise made my Musk is that Tesla will make their cars autonomous by 2018. Currently, Tesla offers a semi-autonomous Autopilot system but they are aiming to create “level 4” autonomy in Tesla’s cars by 2018. Musk and Tesla have very ambitious future plans for the company and their cars. The World is looking forward to seeing where Tesla takes the car industry next.

Follow Elon Musk on Instagram.

Problem With Johnny Depp’s Website?

Published on February 28, 2017

The last time Johnny Depp was spotted in Seattle was back in 2013. Turns out he was eating and making a cameo in the 2014 film, “Lucky Them”. The film was being shot in Belltown and Capital Hill. The visit was confirmed by the Seattle Met as well as the Salish official twitter.

There is trouble is paradise, however, because it appears his website JohnnyDepp.com isn’t owned by him. The site is now filled with content about his battles with his wife, alcohol, and drug abuse. It’s a long well thought out page and highly cited. The new page describes his divorce and how he is allegedly a wife abuser. The site is full of detailed photos of his past arrests as well as a few that appear to be of Johnny Depp drunk and smoking. In one photo, it appears he is having trouble even walking and his security is helping him stand while walking through a crowd after an event.

The website also discusses Disney’s involvement with Depp and how they encourage him. The author goes into why the company would support Depp over the years considering his abuse. “What will kids learn about their hero Captain Jack Sparrow?” was one of the questions the website asked it’s readers and followers.

Lastly, the website calls for the boycott of Johnny Depp’s new movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales which comes out shortly. They even have a twitter hashtag: #boycottJohnnyDepp

The hashtag appears to have a pervious history on twitter. Check out the website now before it’s taken down.

**UPDATE – 3/13/17
The website has been taken down and replaced with a blank white page.

**UPDATE – 3/2/17
It appears the website was retracted and now only has one paragraph. The other paragraphs were removed.

Club13.com Herbals – Learn About Kratom

Published on February 15, 2017

Even though the kratom plant, also known as mitragyna speciosa, has its origins in Southeastern Asia, it has a worldwide user base that consumes it in different methods for a variety of reasons. Naturally, enthusiasts from each country want to support vendors based in their own country to benefit the national economy, as well as have a greater guarantee of their product.

Club13.com Herbals is an American-based business located in the town of Saint Augustine, Florida. Ever since its establishment in 1999, the company has based its operations in that location, despite its main form of business being online. Even though the plants have origins from other countries to maintain product integrity, the products themselves are tested and packaged in the United States. This creates products that provide a rich experience, derived from the cultures of other nations.

Club13’s Roots

Club13.com began around the 2000s, an era where the traditional and recreational use of kratom was just beginning to grow. The company saw how the products derived from this plant could benefit people in the United States and used this opportunity to establish itself in a young market. The business itself has between two to ten employees, but it runs with the efficiency of a larger store. Therefore, customers are not only benefiting from an American vendor, but also supporting a small business that has lasted for a long time.

The kratom products, as well as akuamma seeds and kava roots that the store offers come from farmers who helped establish the business as the reliable name it is today. The kratom plant favors tropical climate and suffers under colder conditions. While the plants’ growth in Southeast Asia guarantees its optimal quality, the state of Florida provides the ideal conditions to keep the products in strong form.

Club13’s website features a variety of kratom products that the customer can consume via their preferred method, including both regular and extra strong capsules, powder, vape juice, and extracts. The company also offers different types of kratom, such as Horn, Bali Red, Indo White, and Green Malay. They also have Maeng Da in green, white, and the bestselling red, which is the strongest among its kind as well as compared to other red Maeng Da products in the market. The Connoisseur mix is a special powder that blends all other kratom powders.

In addition to kratom products, Club13 offers other herbal products, such as akuamma and kava. Three different drug test kits are available that test for a variety of drugs, including marijuana, morphine, cocaine, and more.

Quality Guarantee

The company has a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all its products. They have customer service contact points through phone, email, and an online form, and have a refund and replacement policy in place. The store also goes an extra step in establishing customer trust by offering lab-testing results on all its products. Each item receives local testing, using good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards, and consumers can request a lab report to guarantee the safety and quality of each product. Club13.com has good reviews online from what we’ve seen.

Saint Augustine, Florida

Noted above, Club13’s headquarters are in the city of Saint Augustine. This location has the distinction of being the oldest European establishment in the United States, founded on September 8, 1565 by Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez de Aviles. The territory was under Spanish control until Spain ceded it to the U.S. in 1819. The town’s unique, multicultural history has made it an appealing tourist location.

Even though Club13.com is mainly an online business that sells herbal products to individual customers and larger retailers, it also benefits from the city’s welcoming stand on the manufacturing and sale of these products, particularly kratom. Several stores in the city also sell kratom products.

The Saint Augustine community has also stood up for consumers and vendors of kratom products recently. A drug task force recently targeted the plant due to concerns over its easy availability, requesting a ban. A county board meeting on April 2, 2019 voted on the proposal. After hearing from 19 citizens supporting kratom use, the board voted 5-0 against the ban. Businesses like Club13.com benefit from the community’s meaningful support.

Kratom products provided by Club13 combine the quality of Southeastern Asian conditions and American practices to provide a strong, multicultural experience with the benefits inherent in the plant.

Origin and Early Use

During the last several years, kratom has seen an increase in use due to the numerous desired effects it has on the human body. The plant’s features have made it a popular choice in countries around the world, with their inhabitants creating a variety of products and consumption methods based on it.

The kratom plant, is native to Southeastern Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Papua New Guinea. However, the plant now grows in several countries around the world, which has led to increased consumption. It is a member of the Rubiaceae family, which also includes coffee and gardenia.

The tropical conditions of these countries provide a perfect growing place for kratom, as cooler temperatures can stunt growth and force harvesters to keep them inside containers and indoor growing locations. A fully-grown kratom tree can extend as long as 25 meters, or 82 feet. Indigenous populations used the leaves of this plant as coffee and consumed it due to its effects as a stimulant and aphrodisiac.

Dutch botanist Pieter Willem Korthals gave the plant the scientific name of mitragyna because he believed the components of the plant resembled a bishop’s miter. The plant has also gone under other names, including krakuam, thom, ithang, and krathom in Thailand, as well as ketum or kiak-kiak in Malaysia, and mambog among users in the Philippines.

Methods of Consumption

Traditional ingestion methods of kratom leaves include eating them outright or crushed, and brewing them as tea. The addition of lemon juice to the hot beverage reduces its opioid-like effects, and the addition of sugar or honey can reduce the plant’s naturally bitter taste. People who chew the leaves tend to consume one to three leaves at a time, usually removing the veins and adding honey to apparently reduce constipation risks. After direct consumption, the users drink warm water, tea, coffee, or sugar syrup. Dried leaves are usually smoked.

Modern use of kratom has led to several other methods of consumption, including pills and capsules, or powder. In addition to traditional smoking, kratom is now also available as a vape liquid alternative to tobacco. Southern Thailand has also seen the rise of a cold beverage known as 4×100, which combines kratom, soda, and cough syrup to create an effect much like that of alcohol.

Reasons for Consumption

The earliest users of the kratom plant were Thai and Malaysian workers and native people. For years, they have consumed the plant either directly or via tea to increase stamina. Specifically, it increases mental and physical energy, as well as limiting fatigue and general lethargic effects. They claim that it acts as a sexual stimulant as well.

Modern day use of kratom includes recreational purposes, since it can create a similar “high” effect to other opioids. However, kratom is neither a drug nor an opioid. When consumed, it allegedly can trigger an effect similar to other drugs, such as cocaine in small doses, or morphine in large doses, even though kratom acts as a mu-opioid receptor agonist that only stimulates the opioid receptors. Other foods such as breast milk, coffee, chocolate, and coffee also activate these receptors as well.

Due to this specific effect, according to wikipedia, kratom can relieve chronic pain, anxiety and depression. Other times, it offers a general energy boost. Some people recovering from opioid addiction and withdrawal symptoms use it as an opioid substitute to ease the transition process. The Emerald City Journal hasn’t verified these claims by Wikipedia and you should do your own research into the plant.

Seattle Washington does sell kratom in many stores. It is important to purchase from a quality producers who keeps the plant and powder in its purest condition.

Elon Musk – The 21st Century Father of Invention

Published on February 14, 2017

Elon Musk Photo

Elon Musk is one of the most popular and admired leaders in the tech industry. Some would say he is even the 21st century Father of invention. One of the reasons why Musk is so emulated is due to the fact that not only does his numerous companies hit big milestones in their industries but he is also very diversified in the businesses that he either invests in or starts. He is responsible for Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity, and Hyperloop One. This magnetic billionaire entrepreneur is focused on helping to course correct manmade climate change by creating environmentally friendly companies. He has found success in each and every company he has started and is considered one of the most diverse entrepreneurs in the world. What others found to be preposterous ideas, he sees as a challenge worthy of his ambition.

When Musk founded the company that would later become know as PayPal, little did he know that the money that he netted from the sale of that company would thrust him into his entrepreneur popularity. In 1999, Musk started X.com, an online financial services and payment company that was later acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion. Most industry pundits incorrectly assumed that Musk would retire and enjoy his status as a multi-millionaire. However, not one to rest on his laurels, Musk then created the company SpaceX with intention to reduce space transportation costs to enable people to ultimately colonize Mars.

Quick Facts:
Full Name: Elon Reeve Musk
Born: June 28, 1971 – Pretoria, South Africa
Height: 6? 2?
Net worth: 15.9 billion USD (2017) Forbes
Education: Stanford University (1995–1995), More
Spouse: Talulah Riley (m. 2013–2016), Talulah Riley (m. 2010–2012), Justine Musk (m. 2000–2008)
Children: Damian Musk, Xavier Musk, Kai Musk, Griffin Musk, Saxon Musk, Nevada Alexander Musk
Dating: Amber Heard (2017)

Read about Elon Musk SpaceX:
www.spacex.com/elon-musk

For many years, SpaceX was quietly plugging along and working diligently to create their own reusable launch vehicles and spaceships. SpaceX started work on the Falcon 1 launch system in 2002. After 4 years and millions of dollars in private investments, the system was designed. In the period of 2006 through 2015 companies like DARPA, NASA, ORS, Celestis, ATSB, SpaceDev, Orbcomm, NSPO, and Astrium became interested in SpaceX’s mission and ran several test launches of the Falcon 1 rocket. The first three flight attempts failed but on September 28th, 2008, the fourth flight was a success and Falcon 1 reached orbit. NASA was so impressed by SpaceX’s successful launch, that a $1.6 billion contract was signed between the two companies to ferry American astronauts to and from the Earth’s orbit.

This addition to space program is exciting but Musk’s ultimate goal is an expedition to Mars. Currently, the company is working on groundbreaking rocket engines that will help transport people to Mars. The Grasshopper and the Falcon 9 are launch vehicles that are able to make both vertical takeoffs and vertical landings. After a rough first landing for the Falcon 9, on January 10th, 2015, the team was able to land a rocket on a floating platform off the coast of Florida. Falcon 9 experienced another success by delivering the DSCOVR satellite to deep space orbit from SpaceX’s launch complex.

At the same time SpaceX was working on their rockets, in 2004, Elon Musk invested in a little known electric car company called Tesla. In 2003, engineers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning started Tesla. Musk’s first investment was a whopping $70 million. He became the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the later participated in the design of their first electric chair, the Tesla Roadster. The car later received the Global Green 2006 Product Design Award for its innovative use of carbon fiber composite materials in the hull to minimize weight, the development of an effective battery module and the car had certain design elements that are unique for an electric car. Tesla began to grow exponentially and picked up a pool of investors that included Google creators, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. However, when the car was about the enter production in 2007, the company hit some rough times. Due to management failures, the selling price for the roadster was twice as much as originally planned, the transmission was ineffective and the release of the car was postponed for a year.

Elon went in and cleaned house after such a monumental mishap, and even fired key players involved in the project including Eberhard. Musk then headed the company himself. He then hired Michael Marks as interim CEO until Ze’ev Drori was assigned as the CEO and President of Tesla Motors. Elon Musk succeeded Ze’ev Drori and proved to be a much better CEO. Drori became Vice Chairman and left the company in December 2008. Musk plowed forward with his plan to get Tesla back on track. He reduced staff, negotiated lower prices for supplies and closed some of the offices. Finally in 2008, the Tesla Roadster was put into production with less than a $20,000 price increase.

The company was still experiencing difficulties in 2008 and Musk invested his last $20 million into Tesla to save the company from bankruptcy. Musk even gave personal guarantees to customers to make a full refund in the event of a business failure. But an investment from the German multinational automotive corporation Daimler of $50 million and the inclusion of the Tesla Motors in the U.S. Department of Energy’s pool of innovative transport companies helped to save the company. Tesla also received a preferential interest-bearing loan from government.

On June 29th, 2010, Tesla started it’s IPO and even though it was unprofitable for 10 years it was listed on NASDAQ for $17 per stock and eventually got more than $225 million in investments. The reason for the success of the company was due to the Model S, which was put into production in 2012 and was ranked 99 out of 100 points by Consumer Reports and received the highest safety rating from the National Highway Safety Administration, a 5.4 out of 5 points.

Musk is a big believer in working hard to reverse man-made climate change and he believes that the world is too dependent on oil. He strongly believes that electric motors will help to save the environment. The cars are designed entirely with idea to reduce pollution. In 2014, Tesla unveiled the Model S 85D and the P85D, which was the first electric car with the dual motor. In 2015, the Model X P90D and 90D debuted with the very first true HEPA filter with the “Bioweapon Defense Mode” button in the car. When the HEPA filter operates at a maximum performance no pollen, bacteria or viruses can be detected in the cabin. The Model X has an official EPA rated 250–257 mi (402–414 km) range and the combined fuel economy equivalent and energy consumption for the AWD P90D was rated at 89 mpg-e (23 kWh/100 km or 39 kWh/100 mi)

SolarCity is another environmentally conscience company located in San Mateo, California. It is another company that Musk is a major shareholder in after selling his 11% of PayPal stock, he invested $10 million into the company. It was started by two brothers, Lyndon and Peter Rive, who are also cousins of Musk. SolarCity provides solar power systems for homes, businesses, and governments. The company provides several programs for homeowners including the “MyPower” loan program and the solar lease and solar power purchase agreement. SolarCity is the largest solar energy provider in the United States.

On December 10th, 2012 SolarCity entered the IPO market and immediately the shares jumped from $8 to $11.79. In February 2015, the shares jumped to $57.60. The reason for the rise in stock is the rapid growth that the company has experienced since 2006. SolarCIty has grown from 440 megawatts (MW) of solar panels installed in 2009 to 6,200 MW installed in 2014. In 2015, it was reported that SolarCity installed 870MW of solar power, approximately 28% of non-utility solar installation in the U.S. that year.

In June 2016, Musk’s car company, Tesla, formally submitted an offer to acquire SolarCity for $2.5–3 billion. According to Musk, the reason for the offer is because his focus is “Creating a seamlessly integrated Tesla battery & solar power product that looks beautiful”. On August 1, 2016, SolarCity accepted Tesla Motors’ offer of $2.6 billion. As of August 2016, Musk owned 22% of SolarCity stock.

SolarCity has a wide variety of products, services and technologies. Their most popular services is their Solar Leasing Program for homeowners. This program allows homeowners to cut down their electrical bill by adopting solar power. Their Commercial Solar Program is the largest commercial solar program for businesses. Their installation in San Jose on the North Campus of eBay was the largest solar installation at the time in 2008. Then in July of 2008, SolarCity completed what was then the second largest commercial solar installation in San Francisco, for British Motor Car Distributors, consisting of 1,606 solar photovoltaic panels. SolarCity introduced new financing options for businesses in 2009 and then completed other large installations for companies like Wal-Mart, Intel and the US military. SolarCity also make Electrical Vehicle Chargers that are available for free to the owners of Tesla’s traveling on Hi-way 101 in California. In the next few years, SolarCity is planning on opening up the Gigafactory, a battery factory that plans on making a battery storage device called Powerwall. Musk also announced that SolarCity will be introducing an actual solar paneled roof. That means that the photovoltaic electrical energy generating devices and system would make up an entire roof surface, rather than just mounting solar panels on an existing roof.

His latest ambitious venture is Hyperloop One. Hyperloop is still in the beginning stages of development but Musk is confident that the Hyperloop Transportation System will revolutionize travel. In 2012, Musk at the PandoDaily Event in Santa Monica he said that he has been conceptualizing the idea of a fifth mode of transport. He went on to explain that this futuristic travel mode will be immune to weather conditions, collision free, twice the speed of a plane, low power consumption and enough energy storage to last for 24 hours.

One of my favorite videos of Elon Musk was his Ted Talk. He is great speaker and Ted.com has the full version (about 20 minutes in length). He discusses all his businesses and some of his plans for the future (https://www.ted.com/talks/elon_musk_the_mind_behind_tesla_spacex_solarcity)

During 2012 and 2013, a combined effort from engineers from both Tesla and SpaceX designed the original concept for the Hyperloop. The design concept was then published on the Tesla and SpaceX blogs. In a surprising move, Musk decided to have the concept published on the internet because he wanted people to provide feedback for improving the system. The Hyperloop design will be an open source concept, which is a highly unusual move for a company.

Currently, the design concept is a solar powered, high-speed mode of transport that would be powered by linear induction motors and air compressors. Specialized pods will float on a layer of air and will move through a continuous steel tube and the pods will move through the tubes at the extremely high speeds. The system would be powered by solar panels and one capsule can fit up to 28 people.

In June 2015, SpaceX announced that it would build a 1-mile-long test track to be located next to SpaceX’s Hawthorne facility. The track would be used to test pod designs supplied by third parties from the Pod Design Competition. A crowdsourced operation called Hyperloop Transportation Technologies claimed in early 2016 that it would begin construction later in the year of a 5-mile (8 km) Hyperloop test track in Quay Valley but it has yet to receive the permits or even begin its environmental review process. The MIT Hyperloop team was the first to develop the Hyperloop pod prototype, which was based on electrodynamic suspension.

Elon Musk is an innovator and works hard to create technology that leaves a very small carbon footprint on this planet and is focused on technological innovations that will help to reduce climate change. His effective management style coupled with his ability to take risks makes him the most interesting and admired entrepreneur on the planet. Follow him on Instagram.

Biography:

Early Life
Elon Musk was born in South Africa on June 28, 1971, to a Canadian mother and a South African father. He spent his early childhood with his brother, Kimbal, and sister, Tosca in South Africa. Elon Musk did not have the easiest of childhoods but showed early signs of ambition and success. As a child, Musk was reading approximately 10 hours a day and by age 8 had read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. When he was 9-years-old, his parents divorced, and he went to live with his father. Musk had a difficult time in school and was bullied by other students, so badly that at one point he was hospitalized. These personal troubles did not set Musk back. When he was 12-years old, he wrote his first video game, Blastar, and sold it for $500. His entrepreneurial spirit started young. It has been said that his unsettled early life prepared him for times of adversity during his professional career.

University
At age 17, Musk moved to Canada. He worked odd jobs and stayed with family upon his arrival, not afraid to get his hands dirty shoveling dirt in a boiler room. He first attended Queen’s University to avoid mandatory service in the South African military, but he left in 1992 to study business and physics at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated with an undergraduate degree in economics and stayed for a second bachelor’s degree in physics. After leaving the University of Pennsylvania, Musk headed to Stanford University in California to pursue a Ph.D. in energy physics. He dropped out of Stanford after just two days taking advantage of the internet boom and launching his first company, Zip2 Corporation. In 1999, a division of Compaq Computer Corporation bought Zip2 for $307 million in cash and $34 million in stock options.

Entrepreneurial Journey
Musk’s entrepreneurial journey is nothing short of extraordinary, and many people are sitting in anticipation watching the developments of his latest ventures. Musk is a mover and shaker of modern times and technological advancements. In 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services/payments company. An X.com acquisition the following year led to the creation of PayPal. In October 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion in stock. Before the sale, Musk owned 11 percent of PayPal stock.

Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, in 2002. The intention of this business was to build spacecraft for commercial space travel. By 2008, SpaceX was well established. NASA awarded the company the contract to handle cargo transport for the International Space Station—with plans for astronaut transport in the future—in a move to replace NASA’s space shuttle missions.

Another Musk venture is Tesla Motors, a company dedicated to producing affordable, mass-market electric cars. Five years after its formation, the company in 2008 unveiled the Roadster, a sports car capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, as well traveling nearly 250 miles between charges of its lithium ion battery. With a stake in the company taken by Daimler and a strategic partnership with Toyota, Tesla Motors launched its initial public offering in June 2010, raising $226 million. The 2017 Tesla Model S P100D first test hit a new record 0 to 60 mph in 2.28 seconds.

In August 2013, Musk released a concept for a new form of transportation called the “Hyperloop.” Hyperloop is a proposed mode of passenger and freight transportation that propels a pod-like vehicle through a near-vacuum tube at more than airline speed. At the end of January 2017, 27 teams were on site at SpaceX in preparation for a weekend’s Hyperloop Pod Competition just outside SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, CA. The purpose of the competition was to help accelerate the development of a functional Hyperloop prototype and encourage student innovation by challenging university students to design and build the best Hyperloop pod. The competition was the first of its kind anywhere in the world.

Musk’s net worth for 2017 comes in at 13.4 billion. Musk’s success did not come overnight. There were points throughout his career where money was scarce, he was sleeping in his office, the risks were high, rockets weren’t cooperating, and funding was coming in at the final hour. Musk’s aggressive work-ethic combined with a strong belief in what he was doing propelled him to the success he has reached today.

Political Involvement
Musk has recently become more active in the political sphere. Wherever you stand on current U.S. politics, Musk is going to be a game changer and a major influence during Trump’s presidency. Musk is one of 18 business leaders on Trump’s advisory council. Musk has spoken out about the travel ban and environmental issues. Musk insists he’s making progress. “At my request, the agenda for yesterday’s White House meeting went from not mentioning the travel ban to having it be first and foremost,” Musk said, referring to Trump’s travel ban against seven Muslim-majority nations. “There has already been, and there will be progress on this matter.”

Musk — who has publicly opposed the travel ban — added that he wants the travel ban to be “addressed on all fronts: judicial, legislative and executive,” indicating that he thinks a federal judge’s intervention isn’t enough. Musk is also speaking up about environmental issues. The CEO of Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX, has one other important issue on his agenda with Trump: climate change. He said that he raised the issue with the president.

Personal Life
Musk has been married twice and has five sons. He married Justine Wilson in 2000. In 2002, their first son died at 10 weeks old from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). They would have five additional sons together, twins (with IVF) and triplets. The two met during college and Justine was by Elon’s side during the early stages of his entrepreneurial journey. After their divorce, Musk met actress Talulah Riley, and they married in 2010. The couple split in 2012 but married each other again in 2013. Their relationship ultimately ended in divorce in 2016.

If you’d like to see his biography has a graph check out:
http://fundersandfounders.com/how-elon-musk-started/

Go on, Give Your IT a Quick Health Check

Published on February 5, 2017

Working on Computer Photo

How would you feel if your body was as healthy as your IT department, and how would you honestly describe your level of health right now: fighting fit, can’t complain, a few niggles, or ready for the knackers yard? Over the last few years I’ve spent a lot of time working with a variety of IT departments, both in the public and private sector, and there are very few IT departments who can say that they are fighting fit.

If you’re feeling under the weather, you tend to visit the doctor. And what is the first thing he or she asks? ‘What are your symptoms?’ Unless the doctor knows the symptoms he/she can’t diagnose what is wrong with you, and what to prescribe to cure it. It’s exactly the same with an IT department. You need to spot the symptoms. Some symptoms are quite evident, like a boil on your nose, others are quite subtle, maybe just a feeling that things aren’t quiet running as well as they should be.

So how do you spot the IT symptoms? First, look at symptoms in people, then in any processes you have in place, and then your technology. You’ll have to go looking for symptoms, they don’t often come looking for you, and if they do, you may well have a terminal case. People symptoms are unhappy staff, increased staff turnover, customer complaints, lack of communication, too much communication; symptoms in process are process avoidance, increased bureaucracy, increased time to deliver an outcome; and symptoms in technology are complaints about not fit for purpose, increased number of incidents reported, poor reliability and poor maintainability.

Okay, so now you have identified the symptoms. How do you diagnose what is causing them? Implementing a problem management function within service management is the answer to all your ills. Root cause analysis is the prime function of the problem managers role and is key to the diagnosis of an IT department’s ills.

Sometimes the thought of taking the medicine seems worse than putting up with the symptoms. But believe me, symptoms can get worse – and quickly. So you’ve spotted the symptoms, diagnosed the problem, and now you need to address the root cause. So how do you take the medicine? By this stage you’ve probably found a fair few problems that need to be addressed. Setting up a service improvement program is the ideal way to ensure that the problems which are giving you the biggest pains are relieved first. It also ensures that there is someone to oversee the admission of the medicine and that it’s taking effect.

Organizations often worry at the thought of bringing in a consultant to give them a quick health check. I suppose it’s exactly the same reason that many of us put off a visit to the doctor. We either think it’s too trivial for the doctor, and prefer a quick trip to the pharmacy, or we are trying to avoid what we think may be bad news. Self-diagnosis is a start, but not always the best approach. Most of the reputable IT service management consultancies offer some form of health check. I have learned a lot of the years about IT computer management and business in general. I credit most of my knowledge to CEO Mark Hurd at Oracle.

The health of your IT department can go up and down, just like human health. Illnesses can come back. So what do you do about it? Undertake regular check-ups for early warning signs and perform an ongoing program of review within your IT department to ensure a healthy state of body and mind is maintained within the IT department.

Why is prevention better than cure? Because you, your staff and your customers don’t have to go through all the pain that’s associated with poor IT service delivery and support. So how do you go about putting in place preventative measures? Inoculation is the answer, in the form of proactive problem management. Unfortunately, out of all the service management disciplines, it is the one that more often than not is left until last to implement.

I feel another article coming on, or it could be the flu…

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