Cell Phone Shipments Down 20% in 2009

With out a doubt Matt Richtel from the New York Times hit the nail on the head in his recent article "This Old Phone? Good Enough for Me." People in this challenging economic downturn, if that is what you want to call it, are pinching everywhere they can. And ultimately, a phone is a phone is a phone. If it dials out and can send a text, then it is probably good enough for today.

For cell phone recyclers and wholesalers, at least for the time-being this seems to mean that sales of used equipment are up. One thing we've noticed is that a lot of people are turning to pre-paid phones - in some cases we've seen sales from pre-paids quadruple from Q4 2008. Going month-to-month is a safe and easy change for people who have lost their job or who are insecure about committing that extra year contract.

Whether 2009 has you buying a brand-new iPhone or hanging onto that old piece with the cracked screen and duct-tape, I hope manufacturers and carriers are looking into their crystal balls to see how they can help consumers through this recession and prepare us all for a more positive outlook in 2010.

'Lets Ride' The last day of the Colorado ski season

So the last weekend of the season was upon us but I70 was closed. We were packed and ready to go Friday night but every weather and news report focused in on Colorado making the journey impossible. We are up 6am Saturday in route even though all indications were that the road wasn’t going to open. We took the US 40 frontage road as far as possible until we saw the gate on the freeway entrance. We sat with a few other snowboarding faithful and locals of Genesee planning their assault West. One hour passed then another and then a sign of hope. A big rig wrecker breezes by and shouts that we are about good to go. He hooks his rig to a long hauler just down the hill and begins to creep away.

The gate to enter I70 is still down but the Jeep has been running for an hour. Jason Gelfand, Kiel Hebert and I have our eyes fixed firmly on the highway that was just a hundred yards away. We see a Tahoe, then a Suburban, then a Discovery. These were no state regulated vehicles. With a heavy foot I blow by the gate. By the time I am down the on-ramp I see about 50 cars ahead of me and like a rally racer I hit the gas attempt to take the lead.

I pull into the parking lot in Breckenridge, throw my boots on and scurry to the gondola. I am excited! In my years of running the I70 gauntlet has God ever put together a last weekend such as this? Gondola to the Rocky Mountain Super Chair to the t-bar to the Imperial express and a hike to the top. On April 18 we stood at 12,998 feet in elevation with the whole mountain in front of us.

The wind and snow is furious. It was cold but your focus is only on the next step. I couldn’t have been breathing heavier but Jason and I looked at each other, smiled, took a moment’s pause and said ‘Lets Ride’.

I take my hat off to the workers at cdot for clearing the roads of ice and stranded motorists Friday night. If it were not for their dedication to one of the hardest professions in Colorado and their coordination with local law enforcement we would have never had the best closing day in all my years of living in this great state.

Party for the Planet for E-Waste Recyclers

Pay attention to this event and it is two fold smart. Not only is the San Francisco Zoo holding a electronics recycling drive for for free admission, it is giving discounts for those who ride their bicycles. Events such as these give the choice in two different but equally important ways to contribute to be eco friendly while at the same time running a great promotion to sell tickets for their zoo.

The San Francisco Zoo will be having a “Party for the Planet” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow, which includes a self-guided scavenger hunt, green-themed music and puppet performances, and a sneak preview of Disneynature's Earth.

Attendees bicycling to the event will receive $2 off admission, and those who drive and recycle their electronics at the event's e-waste collection site on Herbst Road from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. will receive one free admission per car.

NBA to kick off its first "green week" Thursday

I appreciate guys like Steve Nash of the NBA who are truly trying to make an impact and set the example for others in his sport. His quotes from this USA Today story are a refreshing change from the excesses of many professional athletes. Professional sports needs an athlete to take a lead and I hope we have more to follow in the footprint he is trying to make.