from Page 53


PT BLOG Gas prices are too high in Califor-


nia.Where is the Laffer Curve when you need it?


Parking ‘virtualization’ (posted Sept. 9) I hear from my “vendor” sources that


a major change is underway in the indus- try, particularly with larger parking opera- tions. It’s called virtualization. In a nutshell, it means that the soft-


ware that runs parking systems won’t be running on a separate PC but on the server that runs the rest of the software in the city, airport, hospital or development. Suppos- edly this makes for better redundancy, faster response time and less hardware, thus some cost savings. One manufacturer told me that he


has this concept running on five airports in the U.S. We have heard of this before. Many


software manufacturers (such asMicrosoft) would love to run their programs for you. Let’s say you want to buy MSWord. They


SuperFast& BuilttoLast


Combination Jack/Dollies


would say forget using all your comput- er’s resources in runningWord; let it run on our computer and we’ll charge you rent for the time you use it, or whatever. They are ensuring that you pay for


usage, and you don’t have to pay the upfront costs to buyWindows orWord for all the computers in your house. Well, the idea is the same.The park-


ing software would run on the cus- tomer’s computer, not on the one sup- plied by the software manufacturer. Talk to your IT department.They are pushing this and will be able to better explain it to you.


More on “Nothing good to say” (posted Sept. 18) I took out after a MSM reporter in


my snarky remarks above about an arti- cle that took only one side to a story about parking enforcement. I got this from the reporter: I’m sorry that we never finished


our conversation.My story veered quite a bit fromwhere we were going, and the clock ran out on me. Your blog contains valid argu-


ments and I’m glad you’ve written them down. A commenter on my site just pasted most of the contents of your recent entry on my story in the com- ments area. I’m happy to have them there, as I feel it rounds out the story. But the words are yours, and if you


feel the inclusion of what looks like the entirety of your entry violates your copyrights, let me know, and I will remove them or turn the commenter’s thoughts into an excerpt. Thanks again for your time. How wonderfully gracious. Mr.


AmericanMade Quality


Sullivan may not be the most curious reporter but his parents did raise him well.


Pneumatic Jacks


In this case, the same old story is not a “fight for love and glory” (posted Sept. 20) I think some people just don’t think


things through. Correspondent Mark sent in a story from Jamestown, NY; here’s a sampling: ‘‘The parking meters were a major


800-446-5257 www.gojaks.net


56


hassle,’’ she said. ‘‘Not only the expense, which is out of line, but hav- ing to take time away from my cus- tomers to go feed the meter just wasn’t working. You can’t leave customers


NOVEMBER 2009 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com


alone in your store. It wasn’t theft I was concerned with – you’ve got to be available to answer questions or unlock a case if someone needs it. It’s not right to just up and leave.’’ If you read the Post-Journal


online story (“Business Owner Sick of Downtown,” posted Sept. 21), you find that there is a lot across the street where they can get monthly parking – also a structure that, although under repair, provides off-street parking. But no. This merchant sees the failure of downtown through the eyes of someone who parks on-street, runs up tickets, takes spaces from her clients, and can’t figure out how to park so she doesn’t have to leave her store empty to “feed the meter.” My God, if anyone deserved to


fail, this woman does. JVH You could have read these entries


when they were originally posted at Park- ing Today’s Blog – and commented, if you liked – by logging on to www.parkingto- day.com and clicking on “blog.” JVH updates the blog almost every day.


PT


Read PT on line


three weeks before it arrives by mail. The "e" format


of every issue can


be found before the magazine is even printed at


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