Joe Miller

One of the best ways to help wean our nation away from its obsession with, and dependance on, foreign oil is to buy an all-electric vehicle.

I've committed to eliminating internal combustion engines from my life as soon as I can. I began with the purchase of a Tesla 100% electric vehicle earlier this year. And today, I furthered that commitment with my reservation for the new Nissan LEAF.

I look forward to the day when I can sell my last internal combustion engine vehicle, a Lexus SUV (good news: it's an ultra-super low emissions vehicle, much less polluting than any vehicle I've ever owned in my life prior to the Tesla).

I'm urging all of my friends who may be thinking about buying a new car this year, to seriously consider an electric vehicle. The Nissan LEAF appears to be an outstanding option at a great price point.

I hope I'll be driving my new leaf by this fall.


Photo Above: my reservation page on the Nissan LEAF website.

Video Below: Nissan LEAF introduction promo from last year.

Shot with my iPhone in the basement parking spot of my Los Angeles condo, this brief video shows the light show coming from the charging port of my Tesla immediately after plugging in the connector.

The process of charging a Tesla is very simple: 1) Flip open the charging port door then, 2) Plug in the connector and twist to lock and, finally, 3) slide the switch on the connector forward to begin charging.

Even as Apple sold in excess of one million iPads in a month, a remarkable feat, I resisted buying one mainly because I didn't think there was any productivity gain in doing so. But my longtime friend, Greg Wagoner (a fellow extreme Apple aficionado), said something that made me reconsider; he asked me if I'd ever bought anything just for the fun of it, and not just because it provided a productivity gain.

A short time later, iPad-specific versions of productivity applications such as Evernote® and Dropbox® -- programs I use extensively on my iMac, Mac Air laptop, and iPhone -- showed up in the Apps Store. And, then, the eagerly-anticipated iPad 3G version was released. All of a sudden the iPad looked a lot more appealing to me.

Thanks to Greg's prodding (once telling me that it was not a matter of "if", rather "when" I would be buying one), along with the release of productivity tools and the 3G version, I took the plunge yesterday and bought an iPad 3G.

It's now clear to me why so many people are buying the iPad. Although it's not yet a huge productivity tool, it is nonetheless a device that is life-changing.  In my humble opinion, the main reason is that the iPad is for 'real people' -- not just geeks or gadget hounds. It's technology that's intuitive and simple to use; you just use your finger and touch the screen to navigate.  It lets anyone easily be part of the digital revolution.

In less than 24 hours I've found more and more ways to harness its productivity features, while enjoying just a few of its life-changing and fun ways to interact with our digital, mobile world.

Many thanks to Greg Wagoner for his prodding and encouragement. I'm loving my new iPad!

Apple's new iPad was launched on Saturday, April 3rd, and since then -- based on analytics -- within two days, iPad-users began using the device while checking my blog.

One particular reader has surfed from their iPad during at least five visits, spending an average of a minute and a half each time.

I appreciate this particular iPad-user's occasional visits, and hope that they'll continue reading as my audience slowly grows.

In the run-up to the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis, one of the many new projects around the city in preparation for the event is to transform the three block stretch of Georgia Street, in downtown Indianapolis, into a pedestrian friendly corridor that will run from the newly expanded Indiana convention Center all the way to the Conseco Fieldhouse -- connecting the two.

Local architectural powerhouse, Ratio Architects, has described the project as an "urban outdoor event venue", and says it should be completed before the city hosts the Super Bowl in 2012. The project will add new street lights, trees, a pedestrian path, a retractable overhead covering, along with outdoor cafés all along George Street from Capitol Avenue to Pennsylvania Street. George Street will continue to serve as a two-way street and will only be closed to traffic for special events.

I've included a PDF from Ratio Architects which includes several renderings and other images of the project.

Don't miss this year's SPOTLIGHT event -- next Monday, May 10th -- in Indianapolis' Clowes Memorial Hall.  You'll have a great time watching fantastic performances by nearly every performing arts group in Indianapolis while simultaneously contributing much needed funding to the Indiana AIDS Fund.

See your friends there, buy truly unique items in this year's incredible silent auction (I've been informed that they'll have some special items this year), and watch some amazing performances -- all for only $15! (See the evening's complete list of performances, here.)

Of course, I'd rather you buy the $115 tickets, since they make an even greater impact on the evening's fundraising -- all of which goes to the Indiana AIDS Fund for their efforts to fund HIV/AIDS prevention and services around the state of Indiana. But, you could also buy a $15 ticket, and then budget $100 (or more) for purchases at the fabulous silent auction!!!

Have a great time May 10th!!

Complete details, and ability to buy tickets, can be found here.

Also, you don't want to miss "SPOTLIGHT ART", a stunning art exhibition related to HIV/AIDS. "SPOTLIGHT ART" will intersperse sculpture with 2-D paintings, digitalized photography and mixed-media works. The exhibition includes new work created exclusively for the exhibition by six multi-cultural artists as well as previously created work that illustrates the theme “courage and hope” in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Collectively, the exhibition will challenge Hoosiers to look at HIV disease through a different lens.  Full details here.

Back in January I blogged about Room to Read, while reading the highly-acclaimed book "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World", written by Room to Read founder, John Wood. Yesterday, Room to Read celebrated opening its 10,000th library!

Founded in 2000, Room to Read is the unlikely success story of social entrepreneur John Wood, a former Microsoft executive who left the corporate world after a vacation in Nepal allowed him to witness first-hand the country’s dearth of educational resources. Motivated to help, Wood launched a book drive for one school and, together with co-founders Erin Ganju and Dinesh Shrestha, turned that one-time act of kindness into the basis of inspiration for a global education movement led by Room to Read.

“It’s a momentous occasion for us when you consider that just ten years ago we began our work with a simple desire to bring books to the children of Nepal,” said John Wood. “It gives me great pleasure to return to Nepal to open our 10,000th library and watch hundreds of children enter it and be surrounded by brand new local language children’s books that Room to Read has published. It gives me even more pleasure realizing that our strong global team is now opening, on average, six new Reading Rooms per day in the nine countries where we now operate. This means that over 3,000 children gain access to new libraries every day.”

Congratulations  to John, and Room to Read!

To celebrate this milestone, John Wood and supporters returned to trek the Himalayan highlands of Nepal on a journey that begins at the very first Room to Read library and ends at the celebratory opening of their 10,000th. You can follow the trek here.

Elton John's tribute to Ryan White on the twentieth anniversary of Ryan's death, included a moving description of the pain he experienced during Ryan's final days.  This video shows Sir Elton talking about the significance of -- and then singing -- Candle In The Wind.

In the video, Candle In The Wind is followed by Elton's description of having agonized over what to sing at the funeral, finally deciding on one of the songs from his first album in 1969 -- a beautiful song called Skyline Pigeon. Ryan's soul was finally free to go anywhere, and his inspiration was free to inspire people all around the world.

I've also included four videos shot by WISH TV, including Ryan's mom, Jeane, and her tearful introduction of Elton John, and Elton's comments immediately before he began to sing for us.  It's almost like being there.

Sir Elton John put on an amazing show last night -- of which I was a proud co-sponsor -- to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ryan White's passing.  There were many very emotional moments, not only in Elton's performance and his descriptions of his last moments with Ryan, but also in the remarkable comments made by Phil Donohue,  Jeannie White, and Judith Light (the actress who portrayed Jeannie White in the ABC TV movie, and most recently can be seen on Law & Order SUV as a judge).

Video-taped messages from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Orin Hatch emphasized the bipartisan nature of the successful efforts by the US Congress to reauthorize the Ryan White Care Act four times since 1992.  Photos of Jeannie standing beside Presidents Clinton and Obama as they signed the act into law were powerful reminders of what can be done if we work together. The Ryan White Care Act has helped millions of people, and remains an incredible legacy of this brave young man.

Ryan White almost single-handedly changed our nation's perception of AIDS and those who struggle with it in their own lives.  Tonight's celebration was both emotionally-charged and fantastically fun.  Thanks to the wonderful people at the world-renowned Children's Museum of Indianapolis for their Ryan White exhibit, and for working with Jeannie to bring Elton to Indianapolis for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Thanks, too, to Wayne Zink and Randy Deer for their support, and to all the people who came to support the museum and the Elton John AIDS Foundation (which matches funds to the Indiana AIDS Fund).

Finally, thanks to Sir Elton John for coming to Indianapolis to help celebrate the life of one of our nation's true heros. It was an amazing performance -- truly once-in-a-lifetime!

Photos: Jeannie White and me outside the VIP desert reception after the concert.  Some of my guests: Mark and Nancy Ruschman, John Pickett and Jeff Baker.

Read Amy Bartner's review of the event in the Indianapolis Star online.

See Indianapolis Star Photo Slideshow below.