Someone mentioned new software licensing regulations that are tied to the “Secure America’s Homes and Businesses Act of 2005 (HR 3632)”. So I went online to read the text of the act and discovered that homeowners are elligible for $5,000, and businesses for $50,000, when they install surveillance systems.

Check out the exact text on THOMAS:

(a) Allowance of Deduction- In the case of a taxpayer who elects the application of this section, there shall be allowed as a deduction for the taxable year an amount equal to the cost of any expenses relating to the purchase and professional installation of a qualifying electronic premise security system in a residential or commercial premise owned or occupied by the taxpayer during such taxable year.

`(b) Maximum Deduction- The deduction allowed by subsection (a) for the taxable year shall not exceed–

`(1) in the case of a qualifying electronic premise security system installed in a residential premise, $5,000, and

`(2) in the case of a qualifying electronic premise security system installed in a commercial premise, $50,000.

`(c) Definitions- For purposes of this section–

`(1) QUALIFYING ELECTRONIC PREMISE SECURITY SYSTEM- The term `qualifying electronic premise security system’ means any of the following:

`(A) Electronic fire or life safety devices, intrusion detection alarms, and any other burglar alarms or devices.

`(B) Video surveillance or other security cameras and equipment.

`(C) Access controls, including biometric controls, automated fingerprint identification systems, and other electronic access control devices.

`(D) Components, wiring, system displays, terminals, auxiliary power supplies, and other equipment necessary or incidental to the installation and operation of any item described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C).

Nice that they specifically call out the fingerprint identification systems. Any old fire or life safety device will do, but you’d better consider fingerprints if you’re thinking about access controls. Come to think of it, it is about time I installed that solar-cell array and battery backup sytem with a diesel generator for my house. After all, what good is any kind of physical security system if it can be switched off or if the main power goes out? $5,000 worth of security per home sounds about right, no?

And what do you think constitutes a legal residential premise?

`residential premise’ means any house, condominium, cooperative unit, boat, or trailer used as a dwelling by the taxpayer

Sorry, you can’t live out of your urban assault vehicle and still get the tax break for security. And that takes me back to my earlier point on a strange loophole in the laws that I see people trying to worm their way into. If someone works/lives in a large vehicle on private property it appears that laws covering a residence do not apply, nor do the rules set forth by the department of transportation.

Now, where is that new law about software licenses?

General Ripper in the movie “Dr. Strangelove” said he was afraid “precious bodily fluids” could be contaminated by the Communists, so he drank only distilled water or rainwater. He might have sounded a bit nutty at the time, but the latest data on US tap water might make the movie seem less comical. The Environmental Working Group released a report recently that had some disturbing findings:

In an analysis of more than 22 million tap water quality tests, most of which were required under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, EWG found that water suppliers across the U.S. detected 260 contaminants in water served to the public. One hundred forty-one (141) of these detected chemicals — more than half — are unregulated; public health officials have not set safety standards for these chemicals, even though millions drink them every day.
[…]
Our investigation reveals major gaps in our system of public health protections when it comes to tap water safety. Federal programs that allocate grants and low-cost loans to prevent water pollution and protect the rivers, streams, and groundwater that we drink are sorely underfunded.

When you consider how important clean water is to the national infrastructure, the data suggests serious shortcomings that threaten to undermine US security.

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, as quoted by Salon, called clean drinking water “a key ingredient to keeping people healthy and our economy strong.”

And that certainly puts the Ann Arbor, Michigan water quality concerns in perspective, as well as the risks to critical infrastructure.

The BBC has posted an interesting perspective on the ethanol industry in Brazil. Here’s the key to the article:

More than 80% of new cars now sold in Brazil are equipped to use ethanol as well as gasoline. Both fuels are available almost everywhere, and since ethanol can cost about a third less than petrol per litre at the moment (though the mileage is not quite as good), the home grown fuel is more popular than the foreign import.

Mileage not quite as good, eh? Here’s an idea, mix that ethanol with waste vegetable oil and put it into a diesel engine and watch your average mileage double. I think people get too hung up on a purist vision of the next energy source. Even the biodiesel folks I often meet are “100% veg” this and “pure-bio” that. Let’s face it, the infrastructure doesn’t exist yet (to support biomass energy creation and distribution) and the engines aren’t sophisticated enough yet (to run on multiple forms of energy), so let’s find a best-fit blend that can significantly reduce dependance on insecure sources of energy without wasting any more time. It’s a game to find a new set of trade-offs to replace the old ones, which are no longer sustainable, without falling into another trap of over-consolidation or unsustainability.

Why diesel? Because it was designed from the start to adapt to any form of oil: vegetable, animal, or even mineral. If you marry that together with an electric, hydrogen, or other engine you get a wide variety of options and a far more competitive market.