Idea Firehose

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 22:27:00 +0000

"Volkswagen Ushers in A New Era of electric vehicle manufacturing after defrauding millions of planet-friendly diesel car buyers". That's the real title of this essay.

I have been a staunch environmental advocate since childhood. I am specifically doing as much as I can to limit my negative impact on the planet I inhabit, from solar hot water to rabid recycling habits.

When I saw something that I thought did a good turn ecologically, I tried to share that information to whomever would listen. I have been a specific supporter of Volkswagen's TDI engine and technology, to such an extent that I took a job selling VW here in Seattle.

During my time at both Carter and University Volkswagen, I was excited to help satisfy progressive Seattle's push toward cleaner fuels, hybrids, and higher fuel mileage. I represented University VW at local biodiesel conventions, and convinced close friends and family to go TDI using biodiesel. My email address starts with "glowplug".

I actively and successfully convinced clients to consider a more-expensive TDI Jetta rather than a comparable Toyota Camry hybrid or Honda Accord hybrid, based on what I was told by VW. I've been intentionally defrauded by VW, and so have many of my customers. I'm gravely disappointed in VW.

By now you've already heard that VW has admitted they systematically tricked people into buying supposedly environmentally-friendly vehicles that turned out to pollute up to 40x more than VW stated. They tricked the EPA, they tricked the State of California, they tricked roughly 482,000 car buyers, and they tricked me and my community.

I supported TDI and VW because I thought biodiesel was an environmentally -friendly stop-gap fuel. All of the VW literature and indeed their actions seemed to be pro-planet. They are certainly guilty of trying too hard to give everyone what they want, and now they are also guilty of massive worldwide environmental and economic fraud.

I was tempted to go along with the throngs of people who want to use this opportunity to get some kind of media revenge on VW for tricking us like they have, but then I had a more productive thought. (Ok, I also want revenge, but only the good kind of revenge, I promise!)

I was thinking this VW "clean diesel" debacle could be a big electric wake-up call for VW, and for the world at large. Could this be a game-changer? What if?

What if this is a direct and coherent signal that we as a species cannot afford to power our transportation future on petroleum combustion engines?

What if VW's true act of contrition wasn't even intended and this was the final proof required to rapidly transition the entire transportation industry from combustion to electric powered motors?

VW has effectively answered the question, "Can we sell a high-performance, environmentally friendly, diesel passenger car to the United States?". That answer is no, but VW has also created a way to truly redeem themselves environmentally in many peoples minds, and that would be to quickly shift to an all-electric fleet of high performance passenger cars.

They already have a great electric Golf on the road, and now they can capitalize on their own misfortune by upgrading that platform with more power and longer driving capacity. VW could engineer a Leaf-beater with awesome handling. They could spread the technology across their Touareg, Tiguan, Sportwagen, and (please) New MicroBus platforms to finally win back the Prius families. An all-electric 4WD R series Golf would sell out world-wide, as would a solar-boosted electric Microbus camper van, minivan or multi-van platform.

It will take a lot to earn back my trust in VW's direction, but pulling the glow-plug on combustion engines would certainly go a long way for me and my folks.

Until then, my technological and environmental support for VW is gone. My green heart is broken. While I will continue to drive a percentage of biodiesel in my 2004 Jetta TDI for now, I will even more actively search out my next electric-drivetrain car.

If anything, VW just accelerated my own passions and desires to invest in a solar-powered battery system for charging my next vehicle.

Hmm. I'd probably make a pretty good Tesla salesman.

Respectfully Submitted by Aaron Bruce Campbell. Copyright and CopyLeft.

September 28, 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 May 2014 18:09:00 +0000

I take great pride is saying I did the dishes today.

In a very real sense I also created a space where actual world peace flourishes immediately.

I actually did the dishes earlier this morning. I'm going to have done the dishes again this evening, so as usual the dishes are never actually "done" in a very real way.

I also came to the conclusion that my campaign for world peace by the end of 2014 just got a whole lot simpler. Dish Peace by 2014.

Metaphorically and in real life these dishes must be done, and since you're here, you might as well just do the dishes.

You gotta get good at something with relation to the dwelling in a home of almost any sort. You need to be an expert in at least one field of household maintenance. I have chosen dishes.

You can also cook, sweep, vacuum, shake, wash, do the bathrooms. You can also fix, paint, and upgrade. I just know I can do the dishes well, and I like doing them.

Just do the dishes. If you have time to do more, so be it.
Perhaps you already realized that if you do the dishes, you are also involved with the preparation of the meal in some way. That's two awesome tasks to accomplish every day. Food and dishes. The rest is pure gravy. Dishes and Painting? Nearly grounds for sainthood.

Dishes are the second most basic sign of love between two people, and it's the most useful by far. If you cook, you love with food. If you do the dishes, you love with hygiene.

More love in every single household on earth with dishes?
More peace on earth immediately possible.

Spread the word and do the dishes.

(This first essay on the topic of "doing the dishes" was done after making sure the actual dishes were done.)

-ABC

"Locally and globally, the dishes must be done.

These dishes, they must be done.

They must be done, these dishes.

Those dishes? Do those too.

Dishes, they don't just do themselves."

-{∞}

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 May 2014 17:47:00 +0000

Just do the dishes first

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 19:14:00 +0000

Archimedes Greek Yogurt

Yogurt containers aren't currently designed to do much more than hold yogurt. True, "yogurt in a tube" is nearly perfect in terms of being industrially designed for maximum yogurt removal. However, you must be a NASA engineer, a pro cyclist, or a toddler in order to look even remotely cool while evacuating a tube of hypercolor yogurt product into your gullet.

While I'm at it, here's another major issue I know you're thinking about: Why can't there be some kind of cool everyday off-the-shelf container that can also be used as a water pump, air pump, or a cheap splash weapon?

WHY CAN'T WE HAVE IT ALL?

Now you can actually have it all with my new pre-Kickstarted innovation, "Archimedes Greek Yogurt". The yogurt comes in a much more sturdy plastic or vegetable resin container that sports a single groove running around and down the side of the container. It resembles a screw.

When you're done with your delicious Greek yogurt, you simply scrape your spoon at a 45 degree angle along the inside channel of the container all the way to the bottom. All the yogurt rescued in one 15 second activity.

The container is then much cleaner for rinsing as well, which you'll need to do when you will be re-using it as a stomp rocket foot pump. Or a cheap accordion. Or an Edison Phonograph Cylinder. Or an Archimedes screw. Or a water container. You can also recycle it. Whatever you want. Booyakashah, and thank you.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:46:00 +0000

STEAM grant proposal: "Ceasefire 2013"

Respectfully submitted by Aaron Bruce Campbell on May 17th, 2013

Introduction and Background:

Here's a recent image of my grant proposal, imagined as a concert poster. When people asked me about the tattoo on my hand, I have always had a hard time communicating the idea behind it. Briefly, it started as an artistic response to the tragedy of September 11, 2001 WTC plane-bombings and the Bush Administration's military reaction. The icon "{∞}" was invented as a logo to represent the idea of an engineered world peace as a result of a global ceasefire agreement. I intend to use the plan, images, and systemology to engineer a global ceasefire transition based on individual, district, and regional energy independence. Below is a photo of a mind-map that evolved from multiple microprinting documents:

The following is a recent picture of the tattoo, accented with a 12v solar car battery trickle charger. As an image, it represents individual energy freedom resulting from a renewable power source. Just trying to sum it all up for myself, I ended up with my life becoming the core idea for an educational STEAM grant

(Science Technology Engineering Arts Math) proposal.

Summary:

Using crowdsourced funds with affordable buy-in shares, the plan is to design a global ceasefire system by the end of 2013, based on energy independence education. The original intent is to use a Kickstarter-centered project funding system, but other funding instruments are possible.

The STEAM team in this case would initially be myself and 4 other principal designers collaborating to satisfy all 5 STEAM educational requirements while educating kids and their parents on personal energy efficiency, and how it impacts regional energy production and consumption.

Methodology:

The core idea challenge is coming up with an open-source system of meme transmission that automatically self-perpetuates without danger to the person who promotes it. This open source contributive model is required since all human beings are directly involved by the nature of the project itself. Basically, people need a vehicle to express their desire to join all other people for in a global ceasefire, and that vehicle is the internet.

Fractal Path to Success:

A personal ceasefire agreement is required from each individual, and must be worded legally and efficiently. Each household made up of individual agreements signs up through a secure encrypted website that is locally administered through a public community center. Each community center communicates with signatories about agreements with other local community centers, collaborating to reduce neighborhood violence while increasing neighborhood energy self reliance. Districts comprised by energy neighborhoods work together within energy regions to distribute energy resources at lower loss-distances. Nation-states are only required to ensure public land resources are ecologically managed. After signing the nation-state ceasefire agreement (based on compiled regional signatures), nation-states will use their own military forces to provide initial required resources, technologies, labor force, and security logistics.

Funding Target and Increments:

Initially, I calculated a $500,000 USD budget proposal with each STEAM educational member getting $100,000 sub-grants, but I opted for a more reasonable $84,000 sub-grant amount. This makes the full request $420,000, split up into five sub-grants.

Initial minimum share comes to $42.00 USD.

Action Step Options:

1. Make an initial pledge of $42.00 USD on the Ceasefire 2013 Kickstarter page.

2. Share and Like this blog post on your social networks.

3. Calculate the ROI of reducing energy losses in your home and workplace.

4. Calculate the ROI of adding renewable energy generation appliances and systems to your buildings with the goal of becoming net-positive.

5. Make smart investments in energy loss reduction retrofits and remodelling, then invest in renewable energy production.

6. Gather with neighbors to design a robust energy interdependence program alongside your disaster prevention and response programs.

That's about it. Please comment sincerely and respectfully.

CopyLeft: Aaron Bruce Campbell

One Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:21:00 +0000

Share this idea: We can create a meme that is spread by its logic alone; that the biggest challenge and solution is absolute baseline human equality.

Joule Energy!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:01:00 +0000

Great news! I am proud to announce my new position with Joule Energy, under the gifted and energetic management of Justin Fogle. More to come, more energy to save!

ABC video application for Make: TV Host

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 04:35:00 +0000

Should ABC be a host of Make TV? YOU DECIDE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD7HvC5P9dI&feature=youtu.be

Makey Make Make Awesome!

Description of ABC's "Infinity Set Theory"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:37:00 +0000

abc's non-alphabetical description of "{∞} Infinity Set Theory"

"{∞} Theory" or "Infinity Set Theory" : Aaron Bruce Campbell's philosophical and typographic offer of a single symbol to represent the idea of merging a grand unified theory in physics with the spiritual essence of The One G0D, in an era of harmonious human peace. The universe is infinitely big and only so small. At either end of the spectrum, giant unknowable metaphysical secrets are generally referred to as the spiritual essence of G0D. G0D's physical presence is built from waves of undulating electric dust in a universal energy sea.

"{∞}" (typography, scientific claim, and etymology) The symbol of infinity "∞" is set between two curly brackets, representing the smallest particle of which there are infinite amounts in the Universe. As a phrase, it's "the idea of infinity, both smallest and largest". Scientists refer to the current smallest physical bit of energy-matter as the Higgs-Boson, which theoretically moves around in space in a figure 8 pattern in all dimensions. Energy is itself matter at the absolute smallest scale, moving at or approaching the speed of light. The Universe (or Multiverse) is represented by the number of things and energy that it's made of, and that number is infinity. Typing out "{∞}" is intentionally complex since it is attempting to represent the entire universe and humanity's place in it using 3 keyboard characters. Gravity and Love are represented in a doubled loop of birth and death for humans.

"{∞}" and humanity: The human interaction with the Universe is primarily gravitational. We don't fly away from the earth due to gravity. Gravity is based on mass, and mass equates directly to energy. Gravity at the galactic scale is the key to the spinning of our planet Earth in its axis around the Sun. We are socially pulled toward each other as humans, and we must also combine in a special way in order to reproduce. This drawing toward each other is our gravity, or to put it another way, our love. Humans are connected to the universe and to each other scientifically due to love. I believe G0D is the infinite universe that loves itself down to its very smallest components and everything in between. Humans are an equally magical part of that fractal dance of love between the entire physical universe and individual quantumphysical energy-wave base bits.

World peace: the primary goal of humanity's progressive drive toward prosperity and security, with the initial act of a prompt and secure ceasefire and subsequent steady multilateral disarmament. It will be designed by the biggest number of humans to ever make a single set of specific decisions together. It will require significant resources to make the final successful offer and then coordinate the entire group, but the risks are dwarfed by the reward of ongoing security, prosperity, and peace. World peace is emergent, attainable, economical, realistic, and necessary. World peace is required for humanity to make it to the next level of their development, and without it humans usher their own extinction even more quickly than through climate change. World peace can only be designed properly when its architects and builders are not in fear of their lives, and each individual human retains identical basic human rights.

Ending Capital Punishment: the human-scale equivalent and fractal component of world peace is an end to interpersonal violence, and an end to all killing sanctioned by the government. In the same way that huge financial savings are concurrent with ending armed national and civil conflicts, trillions of dollars will be saved when we move beyond the need to kill people who kill. Ending capital punishment will reduce violence and associated costs immediately.

Permanent ownership of what's inside or attached to your skin: A direct precursor to world peace, the idea that every human on planet earth owns everything inside or attached to their own skin. A human owns their life and body from the moment it's disconnected from their mother's umbilical cord, until their own death. Simply agreeing to a scientifically verifiable definition of human life on planet earth with save trillions of dollars. If you own what's inside or attached to your skin, then you become an official living human only when your umbilical cord is cut, and you always get the last choice on whether or not you remain alive.

{∞}: Q&A

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 20:37:00 +0000

- What is this, Alphabet Soup?

{∞}: It's a symbol for many things, but primarily the spirit and essence of the omniverse.

- Who is the author "ABC"?

He's obsessed (in a healthy kind of way) with the deepest questions, and he's referring to his invention of the typographical phrase "{∞}", meaning "The mathematical value of the Multiverse / Universe background and the G0D-presence foreground of the true total of reality".

- Can you say that again?

{∞}: Sure. I will type it for you. In this case I will put in quotes the series of these three keyboard symbols typed and read most likely on a computer screen:

A. "{", or the left-pointing curly bracket symbol
B. "∞", or the sideways figure eight symbol of infinity (OSX option+5)
C. "}", or the right-pointing curly bracket symbol

Put the three symbols in the above alphabetical and numerically accurate order and you'll likely have typed the phrase, "{∞}".

- Why do you think it should become a popular meme?

{∞}: The best idea is that which fosters the best ideas. World peace is thus required first, rather than other ideas leading up to it. It turns out, humans are a single species on Earth with enormous positive potential that have very rarely come together to get much accomplished for themselves as a whole. Peace is the best first idea to agree upon, the best meme to spread worldwide. It just needs re-branding and collaborative transmission / use over the internet. It's free, open source, simple and good.

- How will the typography you propose help spread the meme initially?

{∞}: As a species, humans need a single idea goal / thought target to focus their efforts on all at once. A global ceasefire or what some folks refer to as world peace is the best target idea. It's most pleasant and efficient to be able to understand the idea through image and text at the same time, hence the typography.

- How does the mathematical function of "{∞}" function?

{∞}: The function of "{∞}" refers to a specific number in this case: infinity. Literally, it's the typed symbol of the number infinity inside curly brackets. This can be interpreted as "the set of infinity". "Set" in this case is the "series of", and I got that idea from the work of Georg Cantor. In this definition, {∞} means the "set of infinity". It's the smallest sentence I could put together that translated the most good information.

- What is the spirit of {∞}?

{∞}: Its spirit is first and foremost good. It is an "it" more than a "who" if you are tabulating things that way. It's everything, and the sum total of everything and despite the vast seeming emptiness, the stuff of the universe is at least 51% good, positive with 49% or less being negative or bad. Being infinite and being more good than not good, it then can be redefined as 100% good in useful and practical terms. The rest are details, but being made of 100% goodness, the spirit of the {∞} is pure goodness. Not perfect goodness since it's infinite and therefore no end that can be measured to be declared perfect in finite terms but perfect thus far and on into the foreseable future. Not "without flaw" but rather "overwhelmingly awesome". In human terms, "benevolent" is the best possible initial description of the spirit or essence of the phrase {∞}.

- Why now?

{∞}: Humans are weird. They don't upgrade themselves as a single group, they have chosen thus far to slog through the effort of upgrading each individual human one at a time (if at all).
For optimized functionality, a useful meme should be able to be typed out in as few characters as possible while also being an image. There are now 1 Billion Facebook users, and that's close to the critical mass of humans required to work together on the project of world peace.

--ABC

Version 0.9, ABC's 12 Suggestions

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 23:47:00 +0000

Here is my last revision:

12. Music Enveloping, iPadding, app and performance pieces
11. Climbing Gym Coat, Home Playground, Home Hacking channel
10. ABC Consulting & Clown services 9. Co-op iPad application like meetup
8. The Playground Fund tax shelter for local playground investment (and sweat equity)
7. Big Funiversity indoor play-space Co-Op LLC or 501c3
6. Kilowatt Dollar transition based on 2012 USD$.
5. Neighborhood Energy Savings and Loan
4. Higgs Boson Peace Proposal
3. World Prosperity via district & regional resource cooperatives
2. End all (capital) killing.
1. Absolute Equality and Responsibility of Personhood

Wrongteresting

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:27:00 +0000

Car Buying Best Practices

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:56:00 +0000

I see too much misery directly related to car buying. I'm not into misery, so here is a concise list of best car buying practices. CAVEAT EMPTOR INDEED:

Don't buy a car. If you can avoid it, try hard to live close enough to work that you don't need to drive there every day. Bike, Train, Bus, Walk or Carpool: http://transportationchoices.org/. A car is an instantly and constantly depreciating asset. It's rarely ever an investment, and never an investment if you buy from the wrong salesperson at the wrong dealership.
Buy a car with more than 3 days' lead time, preferably 30 days. One of the biggest mistakes car buyers make is to force the car purchase to happen the day they shop for it. NOTE: this is only a mistake if you don't already have a trusted salesperson and dealership. You can buy the right car in 20 minutes if you have a high-integrity salesperson at an actually respectful dealership.
Find the right Salesperson and Dealership. This is a biggie, and people do it wrong every single day, all over the world. They know they need a car, but they dread the process. The stress makes them temporarily but clinically insane. They take all that stress as a given, and resign to pick a day to shop at 3 local dealerships and end up paying too little for a car that doesn't work for them or their family.

The right salesperson is actually easy to find, you just don't find them the day you stress-shop for a car. Walk in to your favorite brand's local dealership, and ask a lot of questions. Pay attention to the answers and if they check out with your gut and your data. Choose the most "together" salesperson, not just the most honest or best dressed.
The right dealership is also easy to find. They have a clean lot, a busy showroom, and people are smiling. The people are the best expression of the dealership. Who got hired? What are they like? How happy does the receptionist seem, and how respectful? If you see the physical plant and the employees are being respected, then you will usually be respected too.

Know yourself and your family's needs. Do you faithfully go skiing more than 6 times a year? Do you have to carry your two 100-lb Mastiffs to the park every weekend? Do you have $300 per month to comfortably spend? Can you get by without built-in navigation, or is navigation a job-requirement? Do you need to chauffeur your 73 year-old grandmother to church every Sunday? Good salespeople ask these kinds of questions so they can help you find the right car.
Know how much car you can actually afford. I see people step into some amazing vehicles with stars in their eyes. I also see them leave the dealership with tears in their eyes when they realize their income or their credit doesn't work with the vehicle they want to drive home.

Don't get a free credit report online, get it free by using #2 in this list and have the trusted car salesperson run your credit and show you the results. Get all the bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion, etc) Go through the results. Take copious notes. Yes, getting a credit report run can affect your credit, but only by a few points and usually only if you do it often in a short timeframe.

Don't expect to convince the dealership or sales team to make up for your rough credit history or lack of income compared to your debt. It's harsh to hear, but it's for your own good. The right car costs the right money, and the days of instant $3,000 discounts are over. Someone is going to have to pay off your existing loan, and it really should be you. If you owe more than your current car is worth, you will have to either pay that amount in cash, or roll it into the next loan. Which brings us to the trade challenge...
Assess what your hourly wage is and calculate how much money you might NOT be saving by selling your old car yourself. If it takes more than 10 hours of time, you're probably going to either save money, time, or both by trading the car in. Which bring us to the trade...

Know how much your trade is worth, or at least a good range of worth. Sure, you can go to AutoTrader, Kelly, and/or Nada to evaluate it roughly, but the dealership is actually a good place to trade in your old car. Accept the truth of instant and constant devaluation, and prepare to get less for your trade than you had hoped for. If you haggle well, perhaps you can get your target value, but in the end, you need to know what your hourly wage is worth and how much time you want to spend trying to get that last $200 out of a car you don't want anymore.
Know if there's a tax discount for trade-ins where you live. If you're in Washington State like me, you'll get 9.8% of the value of the trade taken off your new car's tax amount. Think of it as a 10% break to make selling your car to a dealership more equitable.
Don't require the trade-in to be part of the deal in every circumstance. Usually, it's a good deal to trade your car in, and it's handy to do it where you are buying your next car. However, if you are so convinced your car is worth X thousand dollars and the dealership won't buy it for that amount. Sell the car yourself and save the endless haggling and misery going from dealership to dealership trying to off-load your 2002 Chevy Tahoe that gets 9 mpg going downhill. People make some terrible decisions about where they get their new car by mistakenly overvaluing their old car (while undervaluing their time).

Have all your documentation and notes ready, in an organized folder.

Bring your shopping notes if you need them, but don't bring them all out with the intent of doing battle. Bring them out only if you don't think you're being treated fairly or respectfully.
Bring your cleared title. Don't hope the salesperson is going to track down your ex in Arizona to have them sign off on the title to your 1995 Corvette.
Bring proof of your current full coverage insurance when you come in to purchase. You can't drive a car away until you have proof of insurance. Seriously.
Bring your current registration to the vehicle. Don't leave it at home.
Bring in any proof of membership that might be required for a Supplier discount. In the case of Microsoft employees getting a discount at VW or Audi, they need your recent pay stub, not just your key card.
Bring your checkbook if paying by check. Seems obvious, but....
Bring in your credit union's actual letter of pre-approval if you are financing with them rather than the dealership's bank.

Consider buying the car for MSRP. It sounds silly to most, but it's a seriously good idea if you found the right car. There's no reason that you're going to have to have a knock-down negotiation in order to get a "good deal". Yes, buying a car for MSRP can "cost" you a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars, maybe. Remember that it can also "cost" you dearly to get the wrong car altogether as you dig for that last few hundred dollars of discount. Find the right salesperson at the right dealership, and you can immediately save thousands of dollars worth of time, gas, work hours, and aggravation when they right-size the right car for you and your needs.
For those who are particularly averse to face to face confrontation, you can use the internet sales department to buy a car at almost any dealership. You will need to drive the actual car you're considering buying, but that's all you need to do.

ABC's Next Phase: an Energetic Cover Letter

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:56:00 +0000

Welcome back to my ideafirehose blog. Thanks for taking the time to delve further than the generic sounding title of this post, and thanks for your support thus far. I assume that for some reason you forgive me for being a jerk recently, or I have yet to prove I am currently being a jerk. I appreciate the second chance to make good.

It's been a wild and wacky couple of months, but I wanted to continue honoring my commitments to folks who know me primarily through the VW and Audi world. Then I wanted to make sure I had done some serious discernment in terms of my evolving career path. Here, then, is a formal explanation of my dream of the Next Phase:

"Thanks again. I am going to hopefully be of service to you today by adding my voice to the din of suggestions and helping to sort out a few things from a single but slightly obsessed point of view. By "obsessed" I meant that I accept and embrace my deep energy nerd. That nerd has always been with me, but now I am going to open source my nerd and hope I can make a living at it by the grace of others and the Universe. (I'm also hoping to get paid to promote it, wink wink, so if you'd like to work with me, please visit my LinkedIn profile.).
Enough previews, on with the show!

Here is my obsessive thought:

"Energy Efficiency upgrades combined with Energy Production & Storage (particularly at the residential community scale) can bring measurable increases in security, freedom, and prosperity while massively promoting ecological stability on planet Earth."

I have been thinking this thought since I was an eight year old in Zintel Canyon, picking up aluminum cans to sell/ recycle. I have been helping people with the improvement of their resource management ever since. I am a fresh forty years old now and when I look around me, I see a steady stream of arrows pointing to my next career: offering my combined consulting skills and expertise in the the field of building science to promote massive adoption of the Energy Upgrade Culture. Here are the three main components of my expertise that make me the right person for the job of public energy advocate:

A. Mastery of Energy Efficiency analysis of residential and commercial buildings
B. Deep understanding of residential and district scale renwable energy production, transmission, and storage
C. Business and individual Consulting as a buyer's advocate

ABC BRINGS CHANGE

Its more than hope, it's change. It's science. The change I advocate is an adoption by enough of humanity of the basic tenets of the scientific method to create a simple but vocal collection of change agents in the fields of energy efficiency, renewable and regenerative energy production, energy storage, and energy distribution.

While I am not a trained scientist or engineer by degree, I am an outlier in terms of knowledge about the energy use of people in the built environment, and the built environment itself.

It's a multidisciplinary field, building science, and it is deeper than I can yet measure. That's my take on science, discovering what you want to measure and getting better measurements of reality to share with others in order to improve our collective human and ecological condition.

I posit that my dream of complete human energy independence is not just possible using current technology and current funding structures, but it can be done on the individual, residential, and community scale within 6 months staring the moment you opened this page to read it. It just takes passion, inspiration, innovation, and courage.

Since leaving my work as the founder of Campbell Energy and ZohmEnergy in 2010, I have been shocked by the lack of public support and absence of game changing cultural shift in adoption of residential and community scale energy upgrades. There's a hybrid turbocharged Volkswagen Jetta coming out in 2012-2013, but people still have limited clues about what Passive House means and how to retrofit your building for bottom line energy, money and planet saving.

I am here to work with others and solve this puzzle. Measurement is key, and I have an innovation fetish. I think the best practices surround the measuring the energy lost and then the quick upgrading of the built environment to stop that loss. Then, you get ultra-empirical about placement and installation of renewable power production & storage.

My primary body of skills and passions focus on that space where humans and their buikdings intersect optimally with the movement of heat, fuel, air movement, and electricity. Gadgets are not as important as their users, but I know we can engineer awesome technology to help people use less and make more of their own energy.

I am a group worker and a team player, with a penchant for collaboration.

I will work with you on any piece of the dream I outlined here, but I am particularly interested in increasing public adoption of particular energy saving memes and cultural action. I am eager to speak in public, and I am persauasive with a microphone and a crowd.

There are a number of proofs I can offer and a list of sources for my article here, but since I'm determined to get this essay posted, I will try to address that oversight later.

Folks who know me (and thankfully say they dig me) have described my customer advocacy and informative consulting support well in my LinkedIn profile. If you're at all interested in working with me on my pursuit of an enery independent community, I invite you to schedule an informational interview with me over coffee or beer this week or next.

Thanks again for your time and support.

Respectfully,

Aaron Campbell

Energy Independence Evangelist
Glowplug at gmail dot com

PS: I still help folks install their children's car safety seats so I can use the donations to buy seats for low-income families. I still love helping people with their car choices too, I just do it for free food and/drink.
Email me at my glowplug gmail address to get on the calendar!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:01:00 +0000

Year-end VW deals are amazing: loyalty bonuses, lease deals, discounts on diesel Jettas. All from a trusted community - minded salesperson.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:40:00 +0000

VW Chattanooga factory earns LEED PLATINUM certification! Buy a Passat from me this month: I'll throw in a 12v Solar Battery charger!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:04:00 +0000

OMG. Certified Pre-Owned TDI Jetta for sale!
8,000 miles= better than new warranty. AND IT'S A DIESEL. Call me for details 206-510-6910

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:29:00 +0000

Buy a car with me this month, get a free Solar Battery Charger AND a great deal on a new or used VW, Audi, or even a Pre-owned trade in!

Buy a new car, save money, save humanity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:08:00 +0000

I'm a car salesman. I know that in terms of percieved honesty, car sales professionals are found at or near the bottom of the list (at least according to Gallup, 2010):
http://www.gallup.com/poll/145043/Nurses-Top-Honesty-Ethics-List-11-Year.aspx

I happen to be of the opinion that people can change, but that it takes a lot of effort to make cultural changes.
For my part, I have been working on a plan to overhaul the way cars are bought and sold. If I am doing this by myself, so be it, but I think everyone benefits from the New Car Sales Revolution.

I put this in an email to my community a while back, posted it on Facebook, and have been talking about it very seriously since returning to the car sales business in 2010 after a 3 year hiatus. I left the car business to pursue a career in residential energy efficiency, but discovered quickly that people would much rather spend $25,000 buying a new Prius or VW diesel Golf than spend $25,000 installing a solar array capable of generating 3 kilowatts of peak power.

Rather than fighting with the entire culture on the logical fallacy of saving money or the planet by buying a new car that gets 5-10 more miles per gallon on an instantly depreciating asset, I thought it would be better to climb back into the car business and see if I could change things from the inside.

Turns out, I NEED YOUR HELP.

Literally, I cannot change car sales or car buying by myself. I need to make a very public, profitable, and transparent case for making a swift and comprehensive paradigm shift in the way that cars are built, sold, driven, re-sold, and eventually retired/recycled. I know a lot about energy, material science, car sales, people, and commerce in general, but the best results won't come from my solo efforts.

Here's where you come in, dear reader. Give me your minds!

I need real comments, with real opinions, from real people willing to sign their names. Comments about what upsets you most about car purchasing and selling, comments about dealerships, comments about negotiations, comments about test-drives, comments about reliability, comments about mileage, comments about salespeople. I know what you're thinking, "what's in it for me?"

I tell you what you'll get in return: the rush of having a hand in saving humanity from itself.
Yeah, I said it. Car sales can save humanity.
While saving humanity from itself, you'll get another bonus gift: saving the planet.

While I could ask you for your help in explaining how humanity and the planet that supports it, I know I've asked too much already. Here's how you can take part in the global transportation revolution for free:

1. Send me your car-buying stories, complaints, comments, and suggestions for me to post on my blog
2. Describe your perfect car-buying experience in agonizingly awesome detail
3. Come in to my dealership and shop for a car with me. You don't necessarily have to buy a car, but it would certainly help. Just give me an hour to listen to your car needs, and see if I can be of service.
4. Come in to my dealership and buy a car from me. I promise to treat you with respect, dignity, and appreciation. If you come in with the explicit intention of buying a car while helping change the way cars are bought and sold, I will give you a better deal and spend more time with you.
5. Sign up for my newsletter by hooking up with me on Twitter, Facebook Page, or LinkedIn.
6. Pay for my breakfast, lunch, or dinner and I'll give you 90 minutes of car sales or car purchasing advice.

That's all you have to do. Here's what will happen if you help:

A. You'll feel awesome, and even awesomer if you buy a car in this new paradigm
B. You'll support the new car sales paradigm directly
C. You'll reduce the amount of cars sold to people who cannot afford to buy them.
D. You'll support me and my family personally, and get our support in return
E. You'll own your own car for longer, drive it more safely, enjoy it more thoroughly
F. You'll directly reduce your carbon footprint and the carbon footprint of your community
G. You'll support a high-integrity community car dealership in Seattle and beyond.

Send me an email, give me a call, post a comment to your heart's delight, and thanks for joining the high integrity car revolution!

Back at University Volkswagen & Audi

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:18:00 +0000

Back at University VW,

Realizing I'm a Car Salesman. FOR LIFE.

I am working on becoming the Best Car Salesman in the US.

Help me do this by letting me give you the best car buying guidance available.

Let me be your car advocate and support staff.

Give me the chance to find the safest, most fun, highest mileage car at the best possible price.

call me at two zero six, five ten, sixty-nine ten,
or email me at aaron at uvwaudi dotcom.

I'm at your service.

Aaron Campbell

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 00:34:00 +0000

M cts, and make 2010 the year of Energy Liberation.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 00:34:00 +0000

M For my birthday this year, I would like World Peace. I'm not effin kidding. So, just pledge $1,000 to fund neighborhood & communty renewable energy proje

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:14:00 +0000

Rocking the social net today, annoying all my friends.... Yeah!

Great Idea: batteries as door panels. Read this.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:01:00 +0000

http://crispgreen.com/2010/09/future-electric-cars-may-be-made-entirely-of-batteries/

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:21:00 +0000

Giving my updated Energy Auditor presentation @ 6pm here at Meadowbrook Community Center. Expect pyrotechnics ;) FREE!