POTD: Chào Buoi Sáng Vietnam

From 2015 03 22 Hoi An

Good Morning, Vietnam. Today's photo-of-the-day is from Hoi An, Vietnam. Robin Williams may be gone, but his memory lives on for every American of a certain age who strolls the streets of Hoi An and smiles when he passes the Chào Buoi Sáng restaurant.

From 2015 03 22 Hoi An

Mind Control with the Delphi Method

Hammer. Rake. Spatula. All tools. Tools that when used properly can be useful. But no guarantees. Here's another tool: Delphi Method.

The Delphi method is a structured communication technique or method, originally developed as a systematic, interactive forecasting method which relies on a panel of experts. The experts answer questionnaires in two or more rounds. After each round, a facilitator or change agent provides an anonymous summary of the experts' forecasts from the previous round as well as the reasons they provided for their judgments. Thus, experts are encouraged to revise their earlier answers in light of the replies of other members of their panel. It is believed that during this process the range of the answers will decrease and the group will converge towards the "correct" answer.

Source: Wikipedia.

I'm familiar with the Delphi Method from business. For example, when estimating how long a development project will take, the project team members use the Delphi Method to come up with a group estimate that is better than the estimate of a single project member, even the most senior. At least, it usually is. But no guarantees.

What the Delphi Method is not is mind control. It wasn't developed for the U.S. Defense Department "for use as a psychological weapon during the cold war" as one tinfoil hatter asserts. Nor is it intended for "manipulating ANY meeting toward a predetermined end." At least not any more than a hammer is, although I suppose someone could raise a hammer in the air at a meeting to get attention. But if that happens, don't blame the hammer.

What does all this have to do with Richardson?

POTD: Silk Lanterns of Hoi An

From 2015 03 22 Hoi An

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Hoi An, Vietnam. Hundreds of years ago, Hoi An was a busy commercial center. Silk cloth and silk products were exchanged for products from China, Thailand, India, and Europe. The silk lantern has remained a popular item in Hoi An ever since.

$8/Month for a Meter? Are You Kidding Me?

Some Richardson residents complain about having to pay $8/month for having a second meter at their home for outdoor irrigation, even in winter months when they don't water their lawn.

If instead of charging you $8/month, suppose the city charged you $96 once a year. You use the meter every year, don't you? Would that eliminate your complaint of paying for billing periods that you don't use the meter? Paying month to month, spreading the cost evenly over the year is just a convenient bookkeeping technique. Kind of like the electric company offering to take your variable monthly bills and evenly spread them throughout the year.

But is $8/mo or $96/year the right fee for a meter? I suspect it's a case of spreading the cost of supplying water to the city out in a lot of little ways. If the meter fee is too high that means the cost somewhere else is too low. Reduce the cost of the meters to zero and the city has to make up the lost revenue somewhere else to come out even. There's no free lunch. (By the way, the city isn't alone. I pay Time Warner a monthly rental fee for equipment that I suspect is higher than the cost of providing the equipment alone.)

Repeat Tweets: What Cecil the Lion Teaches Us About Health Reform

Repeat tweets from August, 2015:

• Aug 1 2015: Cecil the lion teaches us that "the ruling theory behind conservative notions of health reform is completely wrong." krugman.blogs.nytimes.com
• Aug 2 2015: Ironic, @DonMcLeroy accusing others of throwing gas on the fire. He is the arsonist. He and his revisionist history.
• Aug 2 2015: I don't know if Scott Walker is a sentient human being, but presume he is.
• Aug 3 2015: "GOP doesn't rush to defend Ken Paxton." Of course not. Paxton himself admitted guilt and paid a fine last year. abc13.com
• Aug 3 2015: Cruz: "Satellite data for last 18 years [shows] zero recorded warming." Obama: "2014 was the planet’s warmest year on record." One is right.
• Aug 3 2015: Jefferson Center Apt Homes: High-end, medium-density, single-use development near future Cotton Belt station. Meh. bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Three Graphs That Explain Your Water Bill

If your water bill tripled last month, don't blame rate increases. The rate for water in Richardson was the same last month as the month before. Sure, it's been going up year after year, and will continue to do so, but those increases are in the order of 8-10% per year, not the 300% per month that some people saw their water bills go up last month.

What would account for a 300% increase in water bills is increased usage. That that happened shouldn't be shocking. May was the wettest month in the area's history. We still had twice a month watering restrictions in place, although no one should have had to water their lawn at all. June and July were dry, dry, dry. And the water restrictions were eased. Twice weekly watering became the norm. Twice a month to twice a week is a fourfold increase. That and the change in weather means it's not surprising that water bills soared.

After the jump, three graphs that show the story.

High School Football Is Back: BHS 45, SGHS 35

From 2015 08 28 South Garland vs Berkner

It's only August and the thermometer is still pushing 100 degrees, but school is back in session. That can mean only one thing: it's time for high school football. The Berkner Rams opened their 2015 season in winning fashion, beating South Garland High School 45-35. The Rams led by 10 at halftime, then both teams traded score after score before the Rams recovered a South Garland fumble at the Rams' two yard line with less than a minute left to seal the win.

All the action, including the game, cheerleaders, drill team, colorguard, marching band and all the rest that make high school football the best value in sports entertainment, can be seen on Google Photos. Remember, without the band, it's just a game.

Iran: Yes or No? My Conversation with Mike Hashimoto

The Dallas Morning News published an editorial, "Make the Iran nuclear deal better, but don't scrap it" that I found to be, well, muddled.

Editorial board member Mike Hashimoto expanded on the editorial in a blog item, "Where does the ed board come down on Obama’s Iran deal? Read on." Sadly, I was no better off understanding the News's position after reading this. And even a Twitter conversation with Mike Hashimoto failed to enlighten me.

POTD: Saigon Motorbike Chic

From 2015 03 21 Saigon

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the streets of Saigon. There are motorbikes. Lots of motorbikes. Lots. Lots. Lots. Almost everyone on a motorbike wears a helmet. They also wear masks. Motorbike chic.

Richardson's Budget - Black or Red?

It's August and that means it's time for Richardson budget roulette. Will the proposed city budget be balanced? You'd think that would be a simple question. Isn't the city required by law to have a balanced budget? Well, yes, but it all depends on the meaning of "balanced".

Last year when I looked at this question, I concluded that the city's 2014-2015 budget was indeed balanced and didn't require use of that sneaky asterisk ("plus reserved fund balance and other financing sources").

After the jump, reviewing that conclusion and looking ahead at 2015-2016.