Which led me to find other logos that have that 3-part flame look to them. In order they are the Epilepsy Foundation, Seagrave Fire Apparatus and Camp Fire Girls.

Then I found an interesting article on the same subject with some great examples: When logos look alike . It's from the fun and educational website, LogoDesignLove.

Clearly, if you are involved with logo design, it becomes more difficult to come up with original ideas given the heavy proliferation of graphic communications, clipart and software that makes designing a lot easier than it was years ago. It pays search the web just to be sure you aren't copping something too closely. :-) Google Image Search can be used to find similar images but it doesn't always work on graphic files. There may be other resources out there. Let us know if you find something interesting!

Disclaimer: Logos above are copyright their respective holders and our use of them is purely educational.

According to most experts, the positive environmental impacts being touted are negligible and in fact, may be a net negative. Here's why. Every car we take OFF the road has to be disposed of. Fluids are hazardous waste, plastics have to be separated out, metals crushed and melted, and parts that can't be recycled either end up in a landfill or they're burnt. It all takes energy!

Plus, while you may be saving some amount of fuel in the future by taking a guzzler off the road today, you have actually increased the total carbon footprint required to get someone from point A to point B. Keep in mind -- the clunker is already built!! Replacing it with a new car adds the total carbon it took to PRODUCE the new vehicle back into the picture. The bottom line is that we are likely using MORE carbon to recycle and dispose of the old car and replace it with new than we save in fossil fuels.

On the economic side, the sale of some 125,000 (maybe 250,000) new cars is just a drop in the bucket for new car sales. According to many industry analysts, SOME production lines may now stay open an extra ONE day over the year as the result of Cash for Clunkers. Big whoop!

Then there's the cost to the U.S. taxpayer for financing this giveaway to the automotive industry -- $1 billion, now $3 billion on top of federal ownership of Chrysler & GM -- all when many analysts think the industry was beginning to turn around on its own. Plus, and this should drive you crazy, OVER 50% of the money is going to purchase foreign cars. Not the cars that you or I as taxpayers now build, but something from Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Kia, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes, etc.

On a philosophical basis, should MY tax dollars be used to reward someone else's bad behavior? Our Sebring doesn't qualify for the program because it gets 1 mpg too much. So those of us who have already been doing the right thing will pay for those who don't.

More reading here to prove my points:

Analysis: Clunker cash won't drive true recovery

Cash for clunkers effect on pollution? A blip

While at Sears to buy some tools (including a nice little $10 digital multimeter), I talked to an appliance salesman. After going over ovens & fridges, I mentioned the problems we were having with our dishwasher and what new ones would do a better job. Surprise! He asked me if had tried using LESS soap -- to only fill the main cup and never add any to the second. Huh? We always filled both cups figuring more was cleaner.

Well guess what? It worked. Dishes are getting clean again and the filminess & spotting are way down. We haven't tried his second suggestion yet -- which is to use a product called "Dishwasher Magic" -- but that's up next.

NOTE - According to Consumer Reports, Cascade Complete with Bleach Hydroclean is the best performing soap while WalMart Great Value powder is the CR "best buy" (most bang for the buck).

Online version of print ad
This is, to use a Twitter term, a complete and total failwhale. Once you go into this Flashed-out zoomy, flippy, scrolly, rollover driven hell, there's no escaping. You can't get back to Staples regular website (easily), the add to cart feature doesn't carry to your regular Staples page and you can't view detailed specifications or reviews on any of the products. Maybe the online print ad is really hosted by Office Depot and they don't want you to buy anything. Whoever designed this system should be sent back to HTML 1.0 school.

Don't click on the Easy Button!
If you do, you end up in another Flash-driven subsite hell. Why does anyone think a glowing, rotating, panning, scrolling text Easy Button page with no clear logical links to anywhere is going to make me want to install something? And you are stuck on this page forever. Try clicking "Home". You'd expect it to go to Staple's home page. Well you'd be wrong. It restarts the Easy Button Flash crap all over. I'm calling this Web -2.0. Try it yourself.

Staples Easy Button

Changes stores, lose cart.
And my last little peeve. I realized after sticking a couple items in my shopping cart, that the store location was pointing to a Staples 20 miles from me. So I clicked on change store location. Poof, cart goes bye-bye. Yet another failure.

OK end of short rant. What do you think?