Calling all energy wonks — Maryland’s Public Service Commission is looking for someone to fill a seat on its five-member commission following the departure of Commissioner Allen M. Freifeld at the end of his term earlier this month.

The PSC won’t actually be doing the hiring, but it is soliciting applications through July 8 for Gov. Martin O’Malley, who will appoint someone. The pay is not shabby at $130,050.

Here’s what the PSC does by law:

“Supervise and regulate public service companies to ensure their operation is in the interest of the public; to promote adequate, economical, and efficient delivery of utility services in the State without unjust discrimination; and to enforce compliance with the requirements of law by public service companies.”

The job posting lists no job requirements, but applicants should probably have a background in energy, telecommunication, water or taxi  issues.

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First, a disclaimer: I don’t send marketing emails on behalf of The Daily Record, so if any of my complaints sound familiar, please – contact our marketing person.

Now then. I’ve been having some fun this summer – a little too much. A recent spate of “red tag” shopping Web sites (Gilt Groupe, RedTagCrazy.com, Rue La La) have eaten away at my discretionary spending, and it’s time to take matters into my own hands. I’m cutting them off at the source: my inbox. If the “too-good-to-pass-up” deals never get delivered – well, problem solved!

I started off my morning by unsubscribing to all the usual suspects – Target.com, RedTagCrazy.com, Payless Shoesource. Then a new enemy appeared: Ann Taylor Loft, tempting with “Everything Under $50″ and “Perfect Styles for the Holiday Weekend.” I had too much self-control at this point, and I hurredly clicked “unsubscribe.”

That’s when a choice appeared I’d never seen before.

“Inbox overwhelmed?” It asked politely. “You can stay informed of news and special offers…and still give your inbox a break. To receive only one LOFT email update a week, click ‘change frequency’ below.”

Not a bad idea there. I didn’t take ATL up on it – after all, I was on a mission – but I like where they’re going with this. Maybe once my new wardrobe’s worn out, I’ll invite them back into my inbox.

I know we have some marketing professionals who follow along, so I ask: Do clients usually find this approach successful? How many emails per week is too much? 2? 3? 5?

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In today’s paper, Andy Rosen wrote about the ‘dash for cash’ for the planned Red Line in Baltimore and Purple Line in Montgomery County. The Maryland Transit Administration is preparing to bring each project closer to being ready to compete for federal money in the fall.

Here in Baltimore, the Red Line is becoming more and more of a contentious issue. Donald C. Fry of the Greater Baltimore Committee is a strong supporter of it, saying that it will provide a boost for business, reduce travel time and create jobs. He projects that it would attract 42,000 commmuters daily, resulting in 67,000 less vehicle miles traveled.

But lawmakers and homeowners in Canton are speaking out–the argument being that a surface line on the already bustling Boston St. would increase congestion, decrease the value of some of the waterfront property and lead to a loss in business because of a lack of parking.

Darryl Jurkiewicz, President of the Canton Community Association, has stressed that residents are in support of a mass transit line running through Canton, but with a hope that it would be underground.

A rally has been organized by community members against the surface Red Line for Monday morning between 6-8 am at the intersection of Boston St. and Lakewood.

Watch the videos below of Fry speaking at a press conference last fall in support of the line and Jurkiewicz taking me on a tour around Canton showing me how detrimental it could be.

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If you’re a AAA member, you’ve got a chance to rake in the discounts and freebies at this Friday’s Orioles game against the Nationals. AAA Mid-Atlantic is sponsoring Traffic Safety Night in which the organization will be staked out at Gate C offering traffic safety-related activities for fans.

I know, sounds boring, right? But check out the goodies:

• AAA members can purchase upper-reserve seats for $6.
• Half-price admission Friday at the Sports Legends Museum for AAA members.
• Fans 14 years old and younger get a gift.
• AAA members who swipe their membership card will receive a free tote bag.
• Adults requesting a free insurance price quote will receive a free AAA insulated reusable bag.
• Discounted AAA memberships ($50 Basic/$25 first additional member) will be for sale.

Not a bad night for $6 a seat — plus you could nab two reusable bags in case Baltimore ends up passing that tax on plastic checkout bags.

I wonder though, if this promotion benefits AAA more than it will the Orioles. Friday night games have averaged more than 31,000 in attendance this year — not bad considering what team we’re talking about here. Plus the Nationals games (the annual Battle of the Beltway) have traditionally been well attended here. I’m betting the auto club will gain a few more memberships tomorrow from passers by than the Orioles will gain in seats sold because of this particular promotion.

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Last night at Little Havana on Key Highway, local business people gathered to network, catch up with colleagues and enjoy a few drinks on the breezy outdoor deck overlooking the harbor. But they didn’t come out just for great Cuban food and conversation — they were there for Green Drinks, a monthly gathering of Baltimore’s environmentally conscious entrepreneurs.

This month the event was sponsored by NAI Michael and Seven Seas Energy, two companies that are committed to exploring green business practices. Spokesmen from each group made short presentations on solar energy and other green initiatives.

Teris Pantazes of Seven Seas was excited to see such a large turn-out for the green happy hour. “It’s a great networking opportunity for green businesses,” Pantazes said, “I mean, we’ve got 80 or so people and this is only our sixth event.”

Local Heather Giustiniani said she is always looking for little ways like Green Drinks to support environmental practices. “I just recently bought wind power for my house,” she said.
It wasn’t all business though. I had a lot of fun kicking back, enjoying the great view of the harbor and chatting with like-minded people.

The event will be held at Little Havana for July and August, so if you’re interested in a good business networking opportunity — or just in going green — Green Drinks is the cocktail hour for you. You can find more information about upcoming events here.

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Strolling around downtown Annapolis in the summer, I’m reminded that the city is a beautiful sight to behold — sailboats dot the horizon and line the docks along the waterfront, their tall masts making up a picturesque maritime skyline. My favorite downtown activity includes a big ice cream cone and a stroll on Main St. and West St. as friends stream in and out of bars and restaurants.

It’s no secret that our state capital relies on this busy atmosphere and plentiful tourist dollars to generate revenue.

Recently, in an effort to raise nearly $1 million for the state’s budget, the city council passed an amendment that would increase parking fees in the downtown area by as much as 60 percent. According to the Annapolis Capital, this decision is causing some backlash from local business owners who are concerned that this rate increase will drive away customers and make it impossible for their employees to afford parking.

In some locations, the monthly parking pass will increase from $150 to $240, and the hourly rate will jump from $1.25 to $2. Many citizens are claiming that there was no hint that a rate increase was being considered until after it had already passed — giving them no chance to protest.

In response, on Monday the Annapolis City Council met and unanimously decided to delay the start date of the new rates from July 1 to August 1. The council agreed that looking into different ways to generate revenue and hearing feedback from citizens could benefit the community.

Should parking rates be raised to increase revenue or are there better ways to make money that don’t drive away customers?

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As someone who co-habitates with an aerospace engineer, I’m embarrassed to admit that I’d never heard of the L2 point, or Lagrange point, before Monday night. After listening to three astronauts discuss a potential mission to one, and reading the subject’s Wikipedia entry, I’m still not 100% certain I’ve got it — but I’m pretty darn impressed.

My engineer and I attended a screening of “For All Mankind” at the AFI Silver Theatre on Monday. Afterwards we stayed for a discussion with astronauts T. Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise in “Apollo 13″!), Tom Jones and Frank Culbertson. It was moderated by Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post (way more up my alley), whose blog appears on our sidebar.

All three astronauts spoke longingly of their time in orbit, and all three hammered the importance of funding the space program, even in depressing economic times. I can’t remember the comparison exactly, but one of them juxtaposed NASA funding with the economic stimulus package – which, of course, makes a trip to the moon seem like a basement bargain.

As breathtaking as the film was, I still struggle to personally support funding of such an expensive, seemingly impractical pursuit. I’m proud of our country’s past accomplishments, but I’m a pragmatist at heart: what does it get us here on Earth?

Then I went home last night and cozied myself on the couch to watch Monday’s episode of “The Closer” on my DVR. On the show, Sergeant Gabriel swore that a fleeing robber shot at him before he returned fire, but the injured man was unarmed and no weapon was found. There was no explanation – until the unit discovered the “three-body problem.”

It’s that darn L2 again, rearing its head.

As it turns out, the gunman was standing directly behind the unarmed man – creating an alignment of the three men that prohibited the first from a direct view of the third. Once the basics of the scientific theory were explained, Brenda Leigh Johnson and her team could move on to solve the case.

So, does this mean that all space travel pays off in the end, due to the knowledge we gain as a society? I doubt it. But it was a timely — and pointed — reminder to me that some does.

And, let’s face it – I’m always searching the universe for a good blog post.

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Let’s face it, no matter how “green” you are, if you don’t have the green to pay for solar panels, they’re out of the question.

A California group, recognizing the prohibitive cost of the panels, thought it might be worthwhile to round up some like-minded neighbors to get a group discount. They formed a company, One Block Off the Grid, and got to work making solar power more affordable to several West Coast communities.

1BOG has no plans to head east to Baltimore or Washington, D.C., but if you round up enough friends to signal interest on their Web site (no obligation, just enter your e-mail address, ZIP code and some info about your home so they know if solar would work there), they’ll set up shop right here in town.

“What we’ve been saying for a long time is if we generate a critical mass of interest in any city then we’ll set up there and the magic number is 100,” Brad Burton, the company’s operations and development guy, told me.

So far, 1BOG has only found enough interest outside of California in New Orleans. Burton said about 20 percent of people who sign up for information usually end up buying into the solar program, which is  double the normal conversion rate.

Participation in 1BOG programs are free — aside from buying the panels — so you might be wondering what’s in it for the company? Well, solar installers pay a fee for customer referrals. The referral fee is always the same, so 1BOG says it’s always looking for the best deal for the community.

The cost of panels varies, but Burton said 1BOG usually negotiates a 15 percent to 20 percent discount.

On top of that, the government changed its tax rebate scenario for the panels in February. Where homeowners used to get a tax credit for 30 percent of the cost, with credits topping out at $3,000, now you can get the 30 percent tax credit with no limit if you install by 2016.

1BOG doesn’t actually take customers off the grid — sometimes you’ll need more energy than your solar panels can produce — but using solar energy would lessen your load on the area’s ailing power grid.

Power to the people.

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If you’re standing on or near the corner of North Avenue and Belair Road in Baltimore, you have a 1 in 7 chance of being a victim of a violent crime. At least that’s what Dr. Andrew Schiller, a geographer and founder of NeighborhoodScout.com has found in a recent study.

Two sections of Baltimore made America’s “25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods” list, published by Schiller using FBI crime data from 2005, 2006 and 2007, synthesized with population numbers and (according to a description of his methodology) controlled to account for exceptionally violent or peaceful years.

North and Belair is a warzone, apparently, as is Orleans Street between I-83 and Central Avenue.

The thing I find a little strange about these neighborhoods’ inclusion in the list is that even though NeighborhoodScout is marketed to residential homebuyers (the slogan is, “The right order is everything. Find your perfect neighborhood first”) , neither of these two neighborhoods is particularly residential.

The Route 40 corridor is filled with small-scale industrial outfits and car repair shops, and although there are a few public housing projects in Schiller’s area, we’re not exactly talking about a place where people go looking for their first home. North and Belair, similarly, is right in front of the city’s municipal cemetary, which is huge, and just north of the newly-revamped American Brewery project. Sure, in nearby Berea there are tons of vacancies and serious drug violence problems, but Schiller’s definition of the neighborhood includes only about 12 rowhouse blocks.

More important, I think, is this — from the why-is-this-report-important? section of Schiller’s methodology description: “Developers, marketers and retailers frequently use NeighborhoodScout’s data to determine the underlying characteristics of a neighborhood’s commercial viability or demographic appeal prior to investing in a project or opening a retail location.”

The Orleans Street neighborhood includes Oldtown Mall, a once-busy retail destination that the city is currently pumping money into by acquiring properties and trying to find a developer to clean it up.  So I suppose the city, in its search for an investor to turn Oldtown around, hopes that no one “frequently” looks at Schiller’s list for advice on where to buy.

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In case you don’t watch TV or listen to the radio in the Baltimore-Washington region (in which case you’re probably not reading this blog, but I’ll continue), and you’ve missed the massive advertising campaign for Baltimore’s Waterfront Invasion — fear not. The cheap fun to be had is just beginning.

The “invasion” includes events and promotions based on the Chinasaurs: Dinosaur Dynasty and Jellies: Oceans Out of Balance summer exhibits at the Maryland Science Center and National Aquarium respectively.

The events include:

The Waterfront Wiggle Free Concert Series held Saturdays at 4 p.m. at West Shore Park through September 5. Sponsored by the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, the series features a variety of bands from steel drums to pirate musicians.

The Waterfront Invasion Free Outdoor Movie Series held Wednesday evenings in July at West Shore Park. Sponsored by the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore and ASG Events and Promotions, evenings include a screening of a classic “invasion” movie plus interactive games, activities, snacks and music beginning at 7:30 p.m.

ASG Sports and the Pepsi Bottling Group are presenting Free Youth Sports Clinics in conjunction with the West Shore Park movie series on Wednesday evenings in July from 6:30 until 8 p.m. The series will feature special guest instructors from the Baltimore Blast, Washington Freedom and Baltimore Bayhawks. Space is limited to the first 150 participants, ages 5-14. Registration is on site, the day of the event.

The Summer Live! Concert Series hosted by Harborplace will be on Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. All performances are free and family friendly at the Harborplace Amphitheater and include a mix of jazz, blue, pop and rock musicians.

Seems like most of these free events are for families or at least not geared toward 20-somethings, younger couples or college students home for the summer or interning in the city. Which isn’t to say that younger couples wouldn’t attend these events for a night out…but those who don’t want to spend their night out with other people’s kids probably will take a pass.

How ’bout just one event for the younger crowd — is that too much to ask?

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