Where never was heard an encouraging word...

Ok, my tattoo has been pretty well documented. I really want to thank the folks at Tower Tattoo for donating the tattoo in the name of fighting hunger. I wish I was a better steward of the ink. In the midst of incredible excitement, I did not fully listen to the post-tat instructions. I put Saran Wrap on it to keep it clean while I slept.

Enter petri dish.

Bacteria grew...and grew...and grew.

I took a picture of the infected art, twitpic'd it, and was bombarded by a string of responses that made me think it was only a moment of time before my leg would be amputated.

@Travis Sheridan

Fighting Hunger earned us $100k...I just hope it didn't cost me a leg... #shootmeintheheadlikeahorse http://yfrog.com/h7rxcwj

@chukknob

uh is that normal? Wonder if anyone will donate to your prosthetic limb fund???

@mikeoz

woah. Hope it gets better dude

@tigermouth

holy shit. I've never seen an infected tattoo. Ouuuuch.

@nickgundry

oh crap that's pretty red dude! But you know that, get better soon man.

@aurocka

Crap, dude. What are you using on that? That looks gnarly. :(

@bfalke

oh my god Travis. That doesn't look normal.

@ __Don__Juan__

oh snaps!! What the hell happened there?!?! Yea not real good advertisement for where ever you got inked up man!!! U good?!?

@Abelopez

just the green ink giving you problems?

@Abelopez

by the way, that looks disgusting.

@angelrodriquez

that doesnt look too good #understatement

@Kare_o_lynn

Wow! that looks like it hurts :-/

@ __Don__Juan__

damn 1st we lose to SLC and now this?!?!#screwwalmart!!!

@hiluhree

you'd better talk to your artist and your doctor. that's disgusting.

@mikeoz

if you're going to need a new leg, perhaps we could do a Kick Starter to raise the money

@kieltfs

gross

@__Don__Juan__

I don't think that says Fresno anymore!!!#imjustsayin!!! Ha!! I feel for ya man!! That looks painful!!

@She1la

OMG!!!! I have never seen anything like that!!!! Hope it heals up!!!!

@natticarrera

holy cow, that looks bad!

@ offkilterkristy

what did u do?

@ck_foto

Wouldn't pass the cereal test anyway.

@scarter19

Do they sell prosthetic legs at Walmart?

@natticarrera

I genuinely think you should seek medical attention tomorrow.

@thisisconlan

That's rock 'n' roll, dude. Rock 'n' roll.

@CoolPolarBear

it's like a train wreck..must not look, but, can't look away! I hope you had or will have a doctor check that out, seriously

@junebug1015

If the first 5 layers of skin peel off overnight...you might have a problem.

@BHarsh

yikes! Don't think I've seen anybody scab that bad. I think ur ok. But Damn dude I'd get some A&D for that!

@alisa_m_

ew :)

@taripie

ooh, that looks bad :(

@jaimeholt

man this walmart thing just keeps getting worse and worse:( sorry to hear this!

Thanks for the laughs, friends. I made it through the night. Barely. Taking antibiotics. Y'all kept me laughing!

Chilean Miners Need a Soundtrack

Like most people, I have been watching the miners come out of the hole. Pretty cool and amazing to say the least. As they reached the surface, a variety of songs kept coming to mind. So, I decided to create a Chilean Miners Soundtrack.

Enjoy.

Water Conservation & Behavioral Economics

How do you feel about water meters? I know how I feel, but I really want to know how others feel. The City of Fresno is about to flip the switch on water meters and that means people will pay based on usage not simply based on a flat rate. I want to lay out a few points that are important to me and see if they resonate with anyone else.

I was talking with a City insider about the water meters. There is concern that if the City flipped the switch and charged the market value (or cost) for water, it could put some residents in a tough financial situation. We will use an arbitrary amount for sake of discussion. We will say that one gallon of water will cost residents $1. Simple. There is one school of thought that says people should be eased into the change. Maybe the City can start by charging $0.25 for each gallon used. Then over time the rates can fall in line with the actual cost of $1/gallon. Another school of thought says to hit residents with the $1/gallon right out of the gate.

I am in favor of option #2. I use $1 of water I pay $1 for said water.

The first option is fraught with challenges. First there is the situation of repeated rate increase. People do not like those. Additionally, easing in might not result in the changed behavior we need for true conservation.

Gas approaches $4/gal and bus ridership starts to increase. Tickets for not wearing a seatbelt or for texting results in changed behavior. Use economics to change behavior.

Make people pay for water. I do not get gasoline subsidized. I pay full price for the enjoyment of driving. I should pay full price for the full green lawn.

City of Fresno, feel free to pass along the cost. If we don't want to pay out the nose, we'll change behaviors.