The economic loss and human casualties from the major storm and cold wave now winding down are still to be totaled, there is no question that they are much lower than they would have been 150 years ago before the science of meteorology began.  The conditions with this storm -- extremely cold air with a rapid drop in temperature -- have, in the past, resulted in horrendous loss of lives. For example, "The Children's Blizzard" of 1888 took a stunning 235 lives. The snow amounts in the Great Plains in '88 were not that great -- the maximum was just six inches. But the extreme cold and high winds combined with greatly reduced visibility caused the children to become lost. There were thousands of children walking home from school at the time and they were caught, unaware, in those extreme conditions. Many died from exposure.  That was certainly not the case with this storm. I made my first post about the cold wave on this blog on December 8 , 13 days before the start of th...

I retired one year ago this evening. I loved my jobs in television and then commercial meteorology. While founding and growing WeatherData, Inc. was my professional dream come true, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend more time with my precious family (especially my granddaughters). In addition to my professional speaking, I now do consulting work -- especially with startups and companies related to science. I'm enjoying that immensely and my clients seem pleased with the work I do for them. If you are interested in learning more and boosting your growth, go here . Thank you to each of my consulting clients. I value the opportunity to work with each of you!! I have written a short story I'm trying to get published. I'm also working on my first novel. I have no idea when the manuscript might be finished. So, that is my life after one year of retirement. For those who wonder what retirement might be like: If you are financially squared away  I highly recomm...

During the last year, and especially since my retirement, I have found myself in demand from people who would like my assistance in setting up businesses or helping to make existing businesses more profitable and efficient. I have experienced a great deal of satisfaction from these projects.  So, while Mike Smith Enterprises, LLC still exists as the parent company (for other purposes), I have formed MSE Creative Consulting so as to focus on four areas: Business and scientific consulting services Keynote speaking Writing on deadline/assignment (example here ) Future books The new website is here . What can clients of MSE Creative Consulting expect?  Our goal is to assist entrepreneurs establish or tweak their existing businesses to make them more profitable as well as more professionally rewarding. We are fiercely dedicated to the proposition that innovative, well-run businesses are essential to America. A profit, ethically made, is nothing to be de...