Old train station found new life as library

By Mike Jones
Chartiers Valley Patch
Dec. 19, 2010

Passenger trains had all but stopped rolling through Bridgeville by the early 1960s, and the freight lines from Pittsburgh were being used less and less. So the old Bridgeville train station sat unused and unattended for more than a decade. And as it rotted away, it became a symbol for what the railroads used to mean to the borough.

Meanwhile, the newly formed Bridgeville Public Library had already moved out of its cramped space inside the Trust Building on Washington Avenue and into a slightly larger home in a nearby apartment building. Looking to expand even more, Ernie Mihaly of the local Kiwanis Club had a wild idea: rebuild the dilapidated train station and turn it into a literary hub for the borough.

That decision likely saved a century's worth of history.

Read more...

When is Enough, Enough? and Happy Holidays

I'm taking time off until the New Year, unless something major happens in the markets.

On Friday, we saw the volume shrinking. I have never forgotten a X-mas period in, I think, 1981 or 1982 when my head was handed to me. I lost a 100,000 dollars in two weeks. That certainly brought me down to earth. I blamed it on the slow holiday markets, but on reflection it was probably a much less experienced man's lack of discipline and skill. Nevertheless, I usually don't trade over the X-mas/New Year period.

My final post for the year is about an email I received a couple of days ago:

"One other philosophical question....

-When is enough....enough???  My biggest struggle is overtrading.  I am the worlds best trader (just in case you haven't heard of me), but I am the worlds worst money manager. 

-I recently came across a simple "blackjack formula" that went like this...Today I am willing to lose $250 per day and every time I have a winner or loser I subtract that from that $250.  So, if I had 3 winners and was up $200 and the next trade was a loser of $60 then I should be done trading for the day with a net profit of $140 (per contract).

-Now that sounds all fine and dandy, but I struggle with the fact that it's 10am and I am done working for the day.  I grew up in a family where one has to work 50 hours a week to justify what you are doing.  Maybe its the midwest mentality or maybe I have ants in my pants, but I just struggle being done for the day.

-How have you handled this over the years???  I know there has to be others like me out there."

As with many things in trading, the answer is simple but not easy. Trading is a business, not a computer game. The basis of my business is the same as most successful businesses: I have a business plan. As I have written before, my Dad taught me to work with inspiration, not perspiration. My goal in my trading business is to make money.

In writing my trading plan, I had to decide many things, including how many hours a day I trade, whether I have a daily target or daily stop loss, as well as a host of other things.

Making my TP very specific helps my discipline. I try and have as few decisions to make in the heat of battle as possible. I don't want to have to work out whether I should stop trading if I have had 4 losers in a row. I don't want to have to decide whether to stop trading if the market is trading sideways on the day before a Fed announcement. All these decision have been made in a quiet and considered way beforehand so that when sh*t happens, and it does, I can react instead of having to work out what to do while under pressure. These days I try and save the sweating for the sauna.

If I'm finished trading for the day, I have a long to do list that will keep me and my brain busy. My work ethic is so strong I also have a hard time not doing something.  If I've followed my plan and trading is done, then I've finished my business for the day and I move onto something else. Whether it's taking care of my longer term trades, making a training video, mentoring a student, getting some exercise, doing research or just walking with my dog.  

If you feel that you need to work longer, make a daily agenda like you would if you had a 9-5, but fill the planner with things you like to do or want to do. Back testing or research if you want additional trading work or working on your hobby, or learn a new one. Have lunch with your wife or girlfriend or other friends or help your kids with their homework, volunteer, etc.  The list is endless and you will find that you will feel more energized and ready to trade the following day.  Your brain needs that switching off from trading so you can see the next day's trades with fresh eyes.

Sadly, a lot of it comes down to money. The less money you have available to trade, the more urgent you believe it is to take the next trade to make more. Sometimes working at trading less, makes more money. Taking the better trades with bigger size or staying out of the dead zone and giving profits back. Over the years, I've tested every trading scenario I could think of. The idea is to optimize your time. I remember when the S and P pit was a big deal, there were locals who only went down onto the floor for the first hour and a half and the last hour.

I wish you and yours all the best over the holidays. Be well and safe and ready for the year to come. There will be a bunch of what I hope are interesting new things to come from ElectronicLocal in 2011. Posting resumes again on January 3, 2011.

Now available with Google Apps: Google Chrome Sync

[Cross-posted from the Google Enterprise Blog]

Editor’s note: We recently launched an improvement that makes over 60 additional Google services available to Google Apps users. This series showcases what’s new and how your organization can benefit.



Welcome to Google Chrome Sync
These days, we spend more and more time working in a web browser, in fact, the number of hours the average American spends online has grown by over 120% in the last 5 years.* Much of the information we consume is delivered through the web, and tools like Google Apps make it easier than ever for workers to collaborate and create using nothing but the web. This shift of data and applications to the cloud makes us less dependent on the specific hardware device that we use to get our work done.

You may use a desktop or laptop PC or Linux box at your desk, then a netbook or maybe even a pilot program Chrome OS notebook when you’re on the go, and then perhaps work from a personal computer when you need to send a quick email from home. Traditionally, your experience has been different on each of these devices depending on how the browser is configured. Now, recently added integration with Google Apps lets you unify your browsing experience across the different devices you use to get your work done, just like millions of Chrome users already do with Google Chrome Sync.

Google Chrome is a modern web browser that was built with today’s web in mind, with a focus on speed, security, and simplicity, and it’s used by more than 120 million people worldwide. One of the features of Chrome that makes it so simple and easy to use is the ability to synchronize your bookmarks, extensions, apps, theme and browser preferences with a Google account, so they are always available in the browser, no matter where you are signed in. Google Apps users now have access to this functionality, allowing you to make these components of your browsing experience available across any device you use to access the Chrome browser.



With Chrome Sync, many of the inefficiencies that result when you switch from one device to another are eliminated. When you bookmark a news article relevant to your business on your desktop PC as you're running out the door to catch a flight, that bookmark will be there when you connect to WiFi as you’re waiting at the airport. The Google Mail Checker extension you discovered last week was synced to your laptop so you notice the email that comes in at the last minute before you close your laptop for take-off. And when the passenger in the seat next to you spills coffee on your keyboard in the middle of the flight, you’re secure in the knowledge that Chrome on your new laptop will have all of the personalization you added on your old one.

Now that Google Chrome is ready for business, Chrome and Chrome Sync combined with Google Apps make a powerful combination for workers leveraging the power of the cloud to be productive no matter where they are and what device they are using.

Learn more and get started
Google Chrome Sync can be enabled by your domain administrator from the Google Apps Control Panel at https://www.google.com/a/[your_domain.com] (replace [your_domain.com] with your actual domain name). If your organization isn’t using Google Apps yet, you can learn more and sign up today at http://www.google.com/apps/more.

You can find more information about using Chrome in your organization on our Chrome for Business webpage or take a look at a product overview.


Posted by Nick Carter, Software Engineer, Google Chrome

Note: Google Chrome Sync may not be available in all areas.
* Forreseter Research, 2010

Level Playing Field or Is It?

When I was on the floor, we had a huge advantage over "the paper". Off floor traders, be they the big boys trading size or the retail traders, were at the mercy of the floor. We could front run the paper, hit tick and low tick, run stops, you name it and it happened.

Those days are gone! As electronic traders, we have all the advantages. We can use whatever technology we can think up and afford. We can see lots of markets at once and trade whatever has juice. Yes, some of the big boys can peak a little ahead of us, but on the whole there is a level playing field and if you have the technology edge or a brain edge then the playing field is tilted in your favour.

Not having the millions to throw at the latest technology, lots of traders work smarter. My Dad always told me to use more inspiration than perspiration and that is especially true of trading. Creating a methodology that gives an edge is the answer, and we have a lot bigger edge now off floor than when we were floor traders.

The picture below is a scalping system I use when I have limited time. We had an overnight and morning snow fall and I was doing some snow blowing on the farm, so didn't really follow the markets in the morning as I usually do. I sat down for a couple of hours to scalp the Euro using 3 tick range bars. The picture below is the result. Nice and profitable, but hard yakka (work) as they say in Oz. Same methodology, just faster bars.

Just remember that usually the last trade in the sequence is likely to be a loser. I'm particularly watchful after the 3rd trade, although in these really short term periodicities there can be many more than 3.

Now available with Google Apps: Picasa Web Albums

[Cross-posted from the Google Enterprise Blog]

Editor’s note: We recently launched an improvement that makes over 60 additional Google services available to Google Apps users. This series showcases what’s new and how your organization can benefit.



Welcome to Picasa Web Albums
Sharing and collaboration are central to Google Apps with over 30 million users in businesses, schools, and government already using products such as Gmail, Google Docs and Google Sites to work together more efficiently. As part of the effort to enhance the tools available to our Apps users, we’re pleased to bring the the photo sharing capabilities of Picasa Web Albums to your Google Apps account.

Picasa Web Albums makes it easy to organize, share and edit your photos, and collaborate with others. You can create web albums to group your images, add tags for organization and searching, edit your photos using Picnik to ensure they look their best, add places to your photos with geotagging via Google Maps, and easily share your photos with colleagues.

Whether it’s photos from a recent corporate offsite or holiday party, or visuals for insertion in a document or blog post, Picasa Web Albums allows you to store your images in the cloud and access them from any browser on any device. Sharing with colleagues is easy as well using your Google Apps account with email address autocomplete linked to your existing Contacts list.


Uploading, storing and sharing your photos is just the beginning. Picasa Web Albums is also integrated with other Google products such as Google Docs, Google Sites and Blogger, which allows users to seamlessly insert images stored or shared with you in Picasa Web Albums into documents, sites or blog posts in just a few clicks. It’s never been easier to compose a multimedia document using nothing but the web.


Stop sending photos to colleagues as attachments and load them into the cloud instead. Just like Google Apps, Picasa Web Albums runs in your web browser so your photos are at your fingertips anywhere you have an Internet connection.

Learn more and get started
Picasa Web Albums can be enabled by your domain administrator from the Google Apps Control Panel at https://www.google.com/a/[your_domain.com] (replace [your_domain.com] with your actual domain name). If your organization isn’t using Google Apps yet, you can learn more and sign up today at http://www.google.com/apps/more.

You can learn more about Picasa Web Albums in our Help Center or you can stay up to date on product news as well as tips and tricks on our blog.


Posted by Lisa Conquergood, Picasa Team

Note: Picasa Web Albums may not be available in all areas.

Introducing the Big Small Business Plan

A few weeks ago we asked about your wishes for your business in 2011, and yesterday we shared what you said. Near the top of your list: growing your small business. As one of you put it, "I want to replace the word 'small' with 'biggest.'" At Google, we’re all for dreaming big. So today we’re introducing something we’re calling the Big Small Business Plan. If you haven’t yet tried AdWords, Google’s advertising program, just sign up by December 31 and spend $100 by February 15, 2011. When you do, we’ll match your $100 investment with a $100 investment of our own.

Need a little inspiration before getting started? Meet Shoes of Prey and Biztree, two small businesses that grew with the help of AdWords.

If you already use AdWords, the Big Small Business Plan works for you, too. Just install free AdWords Conversion Tracking and spend $100 by February 15, and we’ll give you the $100 credit. AdWords Conversion Tracking shows you which of your keywords and ads lead to sales (or whatever action you want customers to take on your site). This free tool will help you grow by making the most of your advertising investment. Get started by registering for this offer no later than December 31.

The Google Small Business team wishes you truly big success in 2011!

Posted by Gordon Zhu, Inside AdWords Crew

Sending your customers holiday cheer with Google Maps

I love walking around my neighborhood during the holiday season and seeing all of the winter and holiday decorations adorning the storefronts. The neighborhood bakery is looking even more festive than usual, and the local boutique’s storefront is full of gift boxes and holiday lights.

The holiday season is a great time for local businesses to connect with customers as they do their shopping or stop by for a family meal. So to help you tell your customers how much you appreciate their business, or to let them know about any holiday events or in-store activities, consider sending them online holiday cards featuring Google Maps.

In addition to selecting from ten holiday card covers, you can add a specific place from Google Maps on the inside of the card - whether it’s your business listing, a Street View image of your store location, or directions from downtown. Just add a personal message and email address, and we’ll send the card on your behalf.

You can also spread the holiday spirit by sending these cards to friends and family, suggesting a place to go ice skating, or just to share holiday greetings.

To start sending these cards, visit googlemapsholidays.appspot.com. Happy holidays!

Posted by Katie Mandel, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps