What's The Diff?

The things Quicken Loans team members care about and want to share with the world

Jen Romanowski

One Island uses wind farms, solar panels and sheep to power it all!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Samso-Danish-island-living-off-grid

Hey Clayton, remember about two weeks ago and we rode into work…and we talked about wind turbines along the highway?  Well it can be done.

There is all this talk about oil and gas prices and the cost of energy and yet this small island off the coast of Denmark that stopped just talking about it and actually did it.   

Holy moses.  Wow.  That’s all that came to mind as I read about the island that runs 100% on renewable energy sources.  The best part about this entire story is the fact that in 1998 they set out with a 10 year goal and in only 5 years they reached it.  Now they not only generate enough energy for their own island, but they also share the energy with the rest of Denmark.

Stories like this really make you think:

* What if we put wind turbines along the entire great lakes?
* What if we all installed solar panels on top of our homes?
* What if we never had to use oil to power anything again?

But how would we do this? The article does offer a piece of advice, "The crucial point is that we have shown that if you want to change how we generate energy, you have to start at the community level and not impose technology on people…What has happened here is a social not a technological revolution."

So friends, who wants to go in on a wind turbine with me?

Post Metadata

Social Bookmarking

AddThis Button

September 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day AND the Day Emoticons Were Born!

Friday, September 19, 2008

Shiver Me Timbers! Who would have thought that talkin’ like a pirate and the little smiley face that we’ve become so familiar with, would have somethin’ in common? Aye, they do! It seems that today be the day for us to celebrate both.

Check out the article that is one of Yahoo’s top news stories for today: Origin of the Smiley Face.

And take some time to polish up your Piratese and learn how to talk like a pirate!

ARG, I wonder if they have a pirate emoticon?

Editor’s note: Check out a pirate message Jen left to the Quicken Loans Web Marketing Team earlier this year. Arrggh. Meet me in Davy Jones Locker.

Post Metadata

Social Bookmarking

AddThis Button

American Express’s Members Project – Ideas Making a Difference

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

I don’t watch a lot of TV but I have caught a few shows the last few days and have noticed this particular commercial.  (Yes, I do make it a habit of watching commercials.)  It took a few viewings before I realized it was for American Express’s Members Project, but I remembered I had seen it before because the very end showed Jim Henson hanging around The Muppets.  I don’t know why it took me so many times to see it before I saw this commercial screaming about The DIFF.

So of course today I go to the site as I prepare to write this blog entry and realize that I’ve already been to the site.  As a matter of fact, I’ve actually nominated a project to win.  This time though I wasn’t there to nominate any projects, but to find out more about Members Project and share it with you.

Continue reading “American Express’s Members Project – Ideas Making a Difference” »

Post Metadata

Social Bookmarking

AddThis Button

“How Can I Make as Much Money as What’s-his-name?”

Monday, August 18, 2008

Yahoo Finance - 9 Reasons Why Your Salary Isn't higher

If I had a dollar for each time I have been with a group of teammates or even school mates and the conversion of salaries came up – I’d have a bunch of dollars.  Often the conversation is around, “How can I make more money?”  This is why while cruising through Yahoo Finance today I stopped and clicked on the article, 9 Reasons Why Your Salary Isn’t Higher.

Come on, who doesn’t want to why they do not make more money.  If you know why, then you can possibly change things that are keeping your paychecks short.  Unfortunately this article doesn’t exactly leave very many things for you to easily change. 

Who would have thought that there were so many strange factors that played into your salary.  Check out some of the things that can impact how much money you make:

Continue reading ““How Can I Make as Much Money as What’s-his-name?”” »

Post Metadata

Social Bookmarking

AddThis Button

Looking to Move? CNN Money’s Great Cities to Move To!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

CNNMoney: America's Best Places to Live 2008I was born and raised in the city of Detroit.  And though I love my city and have been in many arguments where I defend it – let’s face it, it is not one of the best places to live.  Especially if you are raising a family, have children in school or want some peace and quiet.  Now even though I love my city, I am always curious about what makes a city an ideal place to move.

Low and behold, as I’m munching on my lunch yesterday, I see a headline on the Yahoo frontpage that reads, "America’s best places to live”.  Now the article itself is pretty long, but it is worth a read as it lists 10 small cities that are ideal locations for families.

Check out some of these towns:

Continue reading “Looking to Move? CNN Money’s Great Cities to Move To!” »

Post Metadata

Social Bookmarking

AddThis Button

Secondary Navigation:

Promotional Information:

Partner Links:
Site Feeds:
Copyright:
Today's Date:
Monday, May 21, 2012