http://www.richbarrett.net Climbing, Racing, Engineering, ... Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:01:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en We watched the last Formula One race of the 2008 season at Ferrari of Washington.   Massa won the race, but Hamilton passed Glock on the last lap in the rain and won the championship by one point. Pictures http://www.richbarrett.net/2008/11/02/ferrari-formula-one/ The movie is just ok, but I liked the introduction. "When I was a kid I knew the secret to a happy life. Play by the rules, work hard in school, and if you work hard in school, then your reward is more school. And after more school, then you are given the best ... http://www.richbarrett.net/2008/07/13/the-air-i-breathe/ I stumbled upon the following YouTube videos reciently, and I thought I would share my find. http://www.richbarrett.net/2008/05/12/youtube-music/ This miss teen U.S.A. video does not improve the image of beauty pageant contestants. http://www.richbarrett.net/2008/05/12/us-americans/ As of 2007 only three countries, the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar (Burma) had not adopted the metric system. On May 20, 1875 an international treaty known as the Convention du Mètre (Metre Convention) was signed by 17 states (including the United States).    The metric system has been around for more than a few years, ... http://www.richbarrett.net/2008/05/04/the-metric-system/ Blue-ray emerges triumphant.  HD DVD joins Betamax in the format graveyard.   Sony wins this time.     Reference:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_definition_optical_disc_format_war http://www.richbarrett.net/2008/03/24/blu-ray-wins-the-format-war/ The United States is the world's third largest oil producer, largest oil consumer, and largest oil importer. Oil Producers and Exporters, 2006  Producers1 Total oil production MB/D  Exporters2 Net oil exports MB/D  1. Saudi Arabia 10.72  1. Saudi Arabia 8.65  2. Russia 9.67  2. Russia 6.57  3. United States 8.37  3. Norway 2.54  4. Iran 4.12  4. Iran 2.52  5. Mexico 3.71  5. United Arab Emirates 2.52  6. China 3.84  6. Venezuela 2.20  7. Canada 3.23  7. Kuwait 2.15  8. United Arab Emirates 2.94  8. Nigeria 2.15  9. Venezuela 2.81  9. Algeria 1.85 10. Norway 2.79 10. Mexico 1.68 11. Kuwait 2.67 11. ... http://www.richbarrett.net/2008/02/03/oil-producers-exporters-consumers-and-importers/ Maryland Governor O'Malley led a charge to increase Maryland taxes: Tax Old Rate New Rate Change Sales Tax 5% 6% 20% increase Highest Marginal Income Tax 4.75% 5.5% 15.8% increase Corporate Income Tax 7% 8.25% 17.9% increase Governor O'Malley's proposed property tax decrease was rejected by Maryland legislators. The Sales tax was also expanded to cover certain computer related services, including programming. I can see the traffic increasing ... http://www.richbarrett.net/2007/11/22/maryland-tax-increase/ Pictures | Results   My autocross goal for the year was to finish 3rd or better in a WDCR SCCA Autocross.  I missed the autocross over labor day along with several other people in my class (SS).  Steven Henri came in first place, and we are usually very competitve.  I suspect I would have ... http://www.richbarrett.net/2007/10/14/275/ Pictures http://www.richbarrett.net/2007/06/16/rock-climbing-at-franklin-west-virginia/