Matt Simerson – Page 21 – Adventures on the Journey

Is a sin tax the best tax?

I think Christine Gregoire’s sin tax is a mediocre approach to an excellent idea. In addition to taxing poor consumption, the tax plan should also create incentives for healthy foods. With that in mind, I present the Washington State Health Improvement Tax.

Rather than a flat tax on products that are ‘sin’ items, tax products based on the level of Bad Things[*] in them. For example, candy and gum would be taxed on the grams of sugar included per serving. Cigarettes would be taxed on the levels of tar and nicotine. The tax would discourage ‘more sinful’ items because of increased cost, and it creates a market incentive for manufacturers to create healthier products.

It’s illogical to tax sugar-free gums that prevent tooth decay (a health benefit) the same as sugar rich ones that contribute to decay and diabetes. Low sugar gums should be taxed less, giving them an market advantage. Cigarettes with lower levels of tar and nicotine would be taxed less, encouraging smokers towards cigarettes that are less addictive and toxic. Fat, juicy premium steaks would be taxed more than lean cuts. Milk with growth hormones would cost more, making organic milk more cost competitive.

* Bad Things is defined as FDA regulated (food) items consumed by humans that cause poor health. The list should include, but not be limited to: Nicotine, saturated fats, trans fats, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, BGH, high levels of sodium, e coli, etc.

The tax scale should be progressive, so that the most unhealthy products are taxed the most. Dieticians and nutritionists should determine the level of ill health each ingredient causes and the tax implemented based on that.

For example, every gram of sugar above 10 per serving is taxed at the rate of $0.01 per gram. Every gram of saturated fat above 1 is taxed at the rate of $0.10 per gram. Each mg of sodium above 250 per serving would cost $0.01. Under this scale, a 2 oz. Snickers bar with 28g of sugar ($0.18) and 4g of saturated fat ($0.30) would cost an extra $0.48. A slice of Costco chocolate cake would cost an extra $0.20. A bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos would cost $0.80 more.

To make compliance easier, charge the tax at the wholesale level for prepackaged foods. Prepared foods would have to be taxed at retail.

An optional nicety would be providing incentives to encourage merchants to include nutrition summaries on checkout receipts, as well as how much they contributed to the WS-HIT by making unhealthy choices.

Piggyback the WS-HIT tax with an excess packaging tax that taxes products with high levels of waste packaging. Rather than a $0.01 per ounce tax on bottled water, make the tax progressive so that it encourages consumers to purchase products with less packaging. Christine’s tax does not encourage someone to purchase a gallon jug of water versus 8-8oz bottles. The 8-pack has significantly more packing waste and should be taxed more. The large bottles that the Culligan man delivers are reused and should not be taxed at all.

That’s a tax proposal I’d vote for. Would you?

hat size

head circumference is 22 1/4″

Walking desk – improved

After 50 hours of walking at my desk, a few shortcomings compelled me to action. Most of the treadmill surface was under the desk and not available for walking, forcing a shortened stride. It was also unsuitable for jogging or running. We left the treadmill on sliders, so it could be slid out for running. The most annoying problem was not being able to use the controls while standing on the treadmill.

On Saturday I did a little measuring and planning, and then cut out a 11″ x 32″ rectangle for the treadmills console to protrude through. I positioned the cutout 8″ from the front of the desk, leaving exactly enough space behind the console for my iMac to perch on. Then I slid the desk over the control unit and moved the desk surface up.

After everything was in position, I found two problems. The iMac fit but there wasn’t enough space between its chin and the back of the treadmill console to tilt. The solution was cutting a 1.5″ x 14″ notch at the rear (the part I stand in front of) of the desk cutout. That allowed the treadmill to move forward 1.5″ and now I can tilt the iMac.

The other problem was the shelf. With the initial cut, it didn’t fit. Anywhere. After adding the notch and moving the treadmill forward, it was mountable as can be seen. The ideal mounting distance from the front edge of the desk to the cutout is 12.5″. Everything fits perfectly.

I have used this new configuration for 10 hours now. I would like a little more desk available for my forearms to rest on, and I need to raise the desk surface. When I last raised it, I forgot to factor in the incline of the treadmill. Without intent, I created an adjustable height walking desk!

panasonic, a friend to consumers

Dear Panasonic,

Thank you for your consumer friendly web site. I was all ready to pull out my credit card and buy that camera. At the last minute, you intervened and saved me.

PS: Consider hiring someone to finish setting up your shopping cart. Making it work properly in standards compliant browsers would be welcome too.

iPad feature request – user profiles

When the first iPhone was released, it was expensive, limited to 2G (EDGE), and didn’t offer tethering. I was out of contract but I was in graduate school and tethering was my killer app. So I waited. Nine months later the price dropped, the first jailbreak was released, tethering was possible, and I ordered one.

It wasn’t long before I petitioned Steve for a ‘toy mode’, so we could let our kids play with the iPhone without direct supervision. This is an update for that request. I want user profiles, just like my Mac has.

I want to flick the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad off and set it down on the couch or coffee table. When my wife or child grabs it, they must enter their security code to use it. After they do, the device unlocks and all their apps and settings are presented. Email, calendars, saved Safari passwords, applications, etc.

Parental controls would be nice. Specifically, I’d like to prevent the kids from doing anything on my iPhone that costs money (make calls, send SMS, etc). Selecting the apps they are allowed to see/run would accomplish this nicely.

Without profiles, I won’t be able to use the mail, calendaring, password saving, or other features on the iPad. If I did, I’d risk the kids moving my appointments around, or deleting email messages. With profile support, the iPad immediately becomes fully usable by everyone in the family. It would get a lot of use. I’d buy one. If the competition for it became fierce, I might buy another.

iPad

The iPad size is excellent. It’s just right for toting around the house. The dock is a great feature, I’d buy one for the kitchen counter and another for my nightstand. I would not buy the keyboard dock. I’d buy the bluetooth keyboard instead, since it can be used with a Mac and the iPad.

There are some great games that are very playable on the iPhone 3GS. They would be even more fun on the iPad. Hands down, this is a far better gaming/education device than the iPhone or iPod Touch. There’s no doubt it’s better for reading books, browsing web pages, and managing email.

But is it really ‘better’ at music than an iPhone or a Mac? It can’t hold my entire music library, making it less ‘good’ than a Mac. It’s worth putting up with the iPhone storage limits because it fits in my pocket. The iPad has neither ‘best feature.’

It appears the iPad is better at displaying photos, but it can’t take any. Where’s the camera? This device should be able to take pictures and support video conferencing in the same way as iChat on a Mac. The lack of this feature is a compelling reason to wait for iPad 2.0.

The iPhone and iTouch are personal devices. Laptops are shared devices with user profiles. I would leave the iPad laying around the house as other family members would surely enjoy using it. The iPhone OS is designed around use by one person. The restrictions offered are all or nothing, making them far less useful for multiple users. The iPad needs profiles so we can all use it and have exclusive access to our personal data (email, calendars, saved passwords in Safari, etc).

I’ve used my iPhone as an in-car video player. I play the audio through my car stereo via bluetooth and hang it between the seats so the kids can watch a movie. The iPad could be far better, with the larger IPS display and longer battery life.

Perhaps, instead of leaving it sitting around the house, I need to customize my dash to fit an iPad. The next version of Motion-X GPS Drive for the iPad will take mobile navigation to the next level. That idea has some serious potential.

Bon Voyage, my little diesel friend

It’s a bittersweet day. We bought the Fusion a year ago, as the Jetta replacement, but we really like the Jetta and have not been eager to part with it. But we’re cleaning house and it was on the list. Last week a kindly fellow from Canada responded to my craigslist ad and now the Jetta has a new home. Farewall little buddy.

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Carabiner specs

Biner	Price	Dimensions	Weight (g)	Strength (kn)	Gate (mm)
BD Oval	$6.5	107 x 58	62g	6 x 18	18
BD Oval wiregate	$6.5		45g	7 x 23	25
Wild Country Helium	$12.0		33g	10×24	27
Mad Rock Ultralight bent	$6.0	94 x 54 x 22	32g	8 x 25	25
Mad Rock Ultralight straight	$6.0	94 x 54 x 22	32g	8 x 25	23
BD Oz wiregate	$8.5		28g	8 x 20	22
Mammut Moses	$9.0		27g	8 x 23	25
CAMP USA Nano 23	$6.0	84 x 51 x 8	23g	7 x 20	21

Handy domestic app

A year or two ago, I found GroceryIQ, a nifty shopping list application for the iPhone. It has an enormous built in catalog of grocery items, as well as being able to add custom items and custom stores. So, I can walk into REI, and it’ll show just the items I’m looking for.

The only feature I’ve wished for that it doesn’t have was syncing the list on Jen’s iPhone with the list on mine. A few months back, I poked around and lo and behold, the feature had been added.

Words cannot scarcely describe how wonderful this feature is. Any time Jen adds an item to her list, I get a push messsage that notifies me. And vice versa. When I open the app, the item is in my list.

Because the database is so large, items normally have the brand, size, and quantity as well. So when I buy something, I know I’m getting exactly the right product and quantity.

My walking desk

Last year I bought a standing desk. Along with biking to work a couple days each week, it was part of my plan to shed 20 excess pounds. I like my standing desk. I like it a lot. But what I discovered is that I can’t stand all day long without my knees aching. I adjusted by sitting while at work, and standing while at home.

I read that standing all day is a great way to experience joint pain. The solution is always the same: don’t just stand there, walk. I researched treadmills and decided a Bowflex Series 7 treadmill was the one. And I wanted to pay the lowest possible price. So I set up a RSS feed to watch craigslist. After several months, I didn’t see a single one sell for less than $700. So I started bidding $700 on every one that showed up on craigslist. Finally, 9 months later, I have my treadmill.

I had to move the desk up a few inches to slide the treadmill in under it. I’m tempted to move it up another couple inches. As you can see, my arms are actually sloping downwards from my elbows. I’d rather they were nearly level, but I also want Jen to be able to use my workstation.

I’ve now worked at my walking desk for two days. I walked barefoot for the first 4 miles and found the treadmill belt to be abrasive on my feet. Now I’m alternating between barefeet and socks, until my feet have built up some calluses.

Update: I did move it up 3 more inches. Now it’s just right.