Susan Boyle comes in 2nd in Britain’s “Got Talent 2009”

| May 30, 2009

Although I don’t watch the “idol” shows, I would be remiss in not archiving something on my blog about the Scottish singer and Internet sensation Susan Boyle on the British program “Got Talent 2009.” (and although she scored a 2nd place overall, she is tremendously talented and captured the world’s attention)

The Volkswagen Sportwagen will see a new face for 2010

| May 29, 2009

According to VW of America spokesman Steve Keyes, the 2010 North American version of the European Golf wagon, the VW Jetta Sportwagen, will see a facelift this fall.  Keyes told Autoblog: “In order to simplify production, we’ll make the change to our Jetta and as an added benefit, we believe the customers will appreciate the […]

Sugarsync account for free – limitation is 2 GB

| May 29, 2009

Here a great way to try, or to just use without paying for more storage, my favorite backup and multiple computer file sharing service from Sugarsync. I’ve commented positively before and have no problem paying a monthly for the service, but here’s a way for students, skeptics and light users to give Sugarsync a ‘long […]

Just another recreational activity for college students

| May 28, 2009

How many hours does it take to record a 3 minute and 42 second YouTube video of college guys shooting ping pong balls into cups? Probably hours that could have been better used focused on higher education … but they now have a popular YouTube video to put on their resume … and who knows […]

Late spring T-storms and heavy rain to end the day

| May 28, 2009

A rainbow was a welcome sight on the way to the hotel Wednesday night as the T-storms rubbled through northeast Ohio. The rain was heavy and traffic slow as I inched my way through Akron on I-76.

A little history behind Twitter from a Kara & Walt D7 interview

| May 27, 2009

Day two of the All Things D D7 conference had Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher interviewing Evan Williams and Biz Stone of  Twitter. The short on stage sit down offered one of the better reviews both the history and future thinking behind this fast growing social networking company (watch your audio volume in embedded video […]

Volkswagen Jetta TDI meets the Toyota Prius ad

| May 27, 2009

I’ve been wanting to include this Volkswagen Jetta TDI ‘clean diesel‘  television commercial for a few weeks now —  the “What’s your hybrid sound like?” answer makes me smile every time.

Ohio near top of list as an unfriendly state for drivers

| May 26, 2009

Being on the Ohio roads regularly for business and pleasure had me pondering my home state’s ranking in the National Motorists Association‘s Memorial Day review of the least friendly states for drivers. The survey used 17 criteria that unfortunately placed Ohio just behind New Jersey as the most unfriendly state for drivers. The state rankings […]

Looked at a new diesel Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI

| May 25, 2009

Memorial Day weekend was the first chance I had to get a close up view of the ‘new to North America’ V-6 TDI 3.0L version of the  diesel Volkswagen Touareg 2. Most TDI advocates have been wondering just when the ‘realistic’ version of a VW SUV was going to arrive in the states … seeing […]

Memorial Day, formerly Decoration Day

| May 25, 2009

While listening to my wife reminisce about Memorial Day days traditions when she was a child, I found myself looking down with a little embarrassment since I didn’t establish the same thoughtful traditions for our family. Disclosure: her father, WWII vet, was the only one in the family who actually prioritized the day. Nevertheless, the […]

Proclamation: How Great is Our God

| May 24, 2009

It has been an emotionally tangled weekend as one of those parenting situations beyond my ability to intercede and fix has come up.  Searching for good advice has been challenging and I’m thankful to have a caring God to turn to, knowing that He is big enough to handle even my smallish issue. — “I […]

Accolades for the 2009 Volkswagen Sportwagen TDI

| May 23, 2009

The long running automotive magazine program Motorweek praised the 2009 Volkwagen Jetta TDI as their 2009 Driver’s Choice pick for car of the year, while not mentioning the sister “Sportwagen” TDI … until today. _

The vegetable garden is half planted and the flowers are blooming

| May 22, 2009

I was able to get some of the vegetable garden planted this past week and fenced in order to protect the tender plants from the ravenous bunnies we have around our house. One would think that Tootsie, our Australian Blue Heeler could defend the property, but the rabbits seem to populate despite her efforts to […]

Sunrise over Akron Ohio

| May 21, 2009

Next best thing to waking up next to my beautiful wife … 😆 …  is waking up to a beautiful sunrise.  Today’s sunrise over Akron, Ohio was no exception and  I did my best to capture it out my hotel room window on my ‘long in the tooth’ Palm Treo 700p smartphone (the Palm Pre […]

Outsourcing some back breaking work

| May 21, 2009

I’m taking advantage of the ‘hopefully’ short window between my son’s return from college and summer employment. I’ve put him to work edging a few landscape mounds and spreading our mulch. Hmm … what else needs to be done? 😀 Oh … and although he doesn’t read this … Happy Birthday to my brother Ron.

Best Buy might be a good place to shop for the Palm Pre

| May 20, 2009

Now that we all know that the Palm Pre will be available for consumers on June 6th, where is the best place to buy it? One would think that heading to the Pre’s exclusive carrier Sprint, but you might be wrong. According to an Engadget post, Best Buy intends to sell the long awaited smartphone […]

Coffee, Beans & Brew: friendly local coffeeshops

| May 20, 2009

It is long past due that I mention that a friend’s second coffee shop location for Coffee Beans & Brew in Monroe, Ohio location is open for business. Steve’s first CBB is on Yankee Road near the Cincinnati-Dayton Road intersection in Liberty Township has been one of my favorite coffee houses and I’ve been anxious […]

Traveling overseas: What’s in your wallet?

| May 19, 2009

I don’t want to sound like an advertisement for Capital One, but from my minimal research, there is a clear difference in plastic for those traveling overseas — or more appropriately, those needing to make purchases while traveling overseas. Since I’ll be in Europe this summer and noticed a recent article in the Wall Street […]

The D-Link DPU-50U Skype to Phone USB Adapter

| May 18, 2009

I’ve been lax in posting a follow up to my new to me tech gadget since I really haven’t had the chance to use it much until last week, nevertheless, here is my take on the D-Link DPU-50U. I’ve been using the Skype to phones USB device lightly for a few weeks now and will […]

EAA284 hands on welding practice

| May 17, 2009

My Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter (EAA284) met at a new shop of one of our members today for our May meeting. We had a chance to both work on projects for our chapters ‘rentable kitchen’ and to learn a bit about welding. We enjoyed a beautiful day in Waynesville, Ohio while discussing the summer flying […]

NYTimes economics reporter shares a painful story

| May 17, 2009

Interestingly those people who knew and were aware of the conditions that lead to the economic meltdown still fell prey to being swallowed by wanting more than they could afford. In a brutally honest New York Times article,  Edmund Andrews shares his story. If there was anybody who should have avoided the mortgage catastrophe, it […]

The Agenda with Steve Paiken on the social media tool Twitter

| May 17, 2009

So you want to understand Twitter? Here’s an excellent interview. VIDEO REMOVED An Internet friend of mine was on a panel of new media experts earlier this month with The Agenda with Steve Paiken. Mathew Ingram from The Globe & Mail,  Jay Rosen from NYU journalism professor, David Cohn Spot.us founder, and The Twitter Book […]

Time is short to win the Palm Pre giveaway from Sprint

| May 16, 2009

Enter now for your chance to win a Palm Pre from Sprint. The newest Palm smartphone could change the iPhone dominated playing field if the product operates as expected … but the hurdle is set pretty high. Nevertheless, by entering your email address (stick with your junk mail address) and phone number before May 18th […]

An anticipatory “pre” release Palm Pre video

| May 15, 2009

Note to self — don’t get excited just yet as the Palm Pre is NOT in the Sprint inventory. But seeing it being unboxed doesn’t help the anticipation factor.

The shear audacity coming from GM decision makers

| May 14, 2009

After billions of American taxpayer dollars, concessions from labor and retirees, thousands of job losses, threats of bankruptcy and government nationalization of the company … management has the audacity to plan on importing Chinese-built vehicles in 2011 order “to save on manufacturing costs.” How can Americans who through all this considered supporting GM swallow this? […]

Online video performers Rhett & Link here in SW Ohio

| May 14, 2009

I was disappointed last week to have missed seeing Rhett and Link in Fairfield Ohio while out of town on Thursday, but since then I’ve noticed them on several network news shows talking about a controversial  Red House Furniture video (my previous post).  I didn’t find the video all that offensive or really all that […]

Microsoft’s Windows 7 to be in stores for 2009 holiday season

| May 13, 2009

I’ve been happily running the Windows 7 Beta (post 1 & post 2) and see it as Microsoft’s best OS release since XP. Although the Release Candidate is now available for all to install, I’ve been slow to update my 7000 Beta build because I’d like a clean install requiring solid backups, my install CDs, […]

Taxpayers don’t want to pay more taxes at the pump

| May 12, 2009

Although some in the Obama administration have proposed that raising taxes on fuel is one way to encourage driving less and buying smaller more fuel efficient vehicles, Americans surveyed by Rasmussen don’t like it. A short FoxNews interview with Scott Rasmussen highlights that 81% oppose additional fuel taxes, although they seem to be a bit […]

Shuttle Altlantis STS-125 scheduled for lift-off at 2PM EST

| May 11, 2009

The shuttle Shuttle Atlantis sits on launch pad 39A (photo right) as the crew of STS-125 rests for an ambitious mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope this week. The launch is scheduled for 2:00PM EST Monday afternoon and will be manned by retired Navy Capt. Gregory C. Johnson, pilot, mission specialists and veteran spacewalkers […]

It’s hard to forget today Mom

| May 10, 2009

Short ‘text to blog’ post to wish all the mothers in my life a Happy Mother’s Day.

Rumor: the Palm Pre may be released by Sprint on June 7th

| May 8, 2009

The MyPre website posted comments about a possible June 7th release of the Palm Pre. They pointed to an alleged leaked internal meeting agenda that will be taking place from June 3rd through June 5th. Historically June 7th has been a Sprint  launch day for new products. Also, according to the buzz in Palm Pre […]

Volvo Ocean Race photos in Boston.com

| May 8, 2009

In my second sailing entry for the day, the razor sharp photo to the left is of Thomas Johanson (click photo for larger) the helmsman for Team Ericsson 3 in the Volvo Ocean Race. This Oskar Kihlborg was one of the featured photos in an excellent Boston.com The Big Picture page. The Volvo Ocean Race […]

Archiving article on ‘1000Days’ sailor Reid Stowe

| May 8, 2009

I regularly read the updates from Reid Stowe and his 1000 Days at Sea Mars Ocean Odyssey and wanted to archive an AP story from earlier in the week. The AP article written by Verena Dobnik was published a couple days ago and portrayed Soanya and Reid’s story as “quirky” — at least the beginning. […]

Received a birthday kiss this morning from a spider

| May 7, 2009

While out of town this week at one of my regular hotels, I noticed a speedy brown spider about the size of a nickel in my room at night, perhaps the Brown Recluse –Loxosceles reclusa (photo right). I tried to catch him, but he was evasive and when behind one of the screwed down pictures […]

Windows 7 Beta and switching to the RC release

| May 7, 2009

The Microsoft Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) came out on Tuesday this week and although I’m in no hurry to switch from the Beta (see my original install post), I did find some of the information disconcerting.  First, the August 1st expiration date on my current beta build has been confirmed. You can also check […]

Security issue: Turn off JavaScript in Adobe Acrobat and Reader

| May 7, 2009

According to computer security expert Steve Gibson, there is a javascript flaw in the widely used Adobe product Acrobat 7, 8 and 9 includiing their Reader software. There is an easy fix that can be taken by users before Adobe come out with the ‘fix’ — it as simple as unchecking the ‘Enable JavaScript’ box. […]

Follow up: EFE gazebo project nears completion

| May 6, 2009

I know that I’ve posted one too many photos of the gazebo progress, but one more picture taken while the sun sets won’t hurt. This one was taken on Tuesday night just after the construction workers installed the railings and before the rain came today, Wednesday 5/6/2009. I’ll also use this to mention that I’ve […]

Let me know if you want a 1 month Netflix trial

| May 6, 2009

Let me know if you would like  a one month NetFlix Trial … a couple weeks longer than the normal promo. Who wouldn’t like a free month of movies? Forward this email to your friends and family, and they’ll get a FREE month of Netflix. That’s twice as long as our regular free trial! This […]

Fun with Rhett & Link and iPhone app Leaf Trombone

| May 6, 2009

Short on time tonight, so here a YouTube comedy video from Rhett & Link that promotes an iPhone app called Leaf Trombone World Stage. They are best known for their internet videos and are self-proclaimed “Internetainers”. In addition to their web presence, Rhett & Link are also musicians and filmmakers, and have worked in network […]

WMUB Help Desk Live ustream.tv broadcast

| May 5, 2009

The second live broadcast of the WMUB Help Desk podcast on ustream.tv. (testing the embed) Hopefully the archive version will be available ‘here’ after the Tuesday morning 5/5 live recording. EDIT: Podcast version available here.

VW creates a TDI Truth & Dare Consumer Blog

| May 5, 2009

There’s an excellent new Volkswagen TDI Truth & Dare consumer blog and video marketing campaign attempting to educate American’s about  ‘clean diesel‘ cars. Volkswagen seeks to build on diesels reputation for economy, longevity and resale value by putting to rest the connotation that they are also slow, loud and dirty. The great videos associated with […]

Social Networking consolidators Skimmer and Seesmic

| May 4, 2009

I’ve noticed increased number of programs proposing to consolidate social networking sites with software or websites. This weekend I thought I would give a couple of them a try, even though I don’t really use too many different social networking platforms. First, I installed Skimmer by Fallon, and then Seesmic Desktop, both which are Adobe […]

Gazebo project gains cupola and railings

| May 4, 2009

I’ve noticed that the neighborhood gazebo project is coming along nicely while checking in with the live ustream.tv feed over lunch. We now have the cupola and the railings are starting to appear. (and the water level in the lake is rising too!) EFE Gazebo Live Stream

Men’s club – male mallard ducks only

| May 3, 2009

My wife has dubbed the morning gathering of male only Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), “the men’s club,” as at least six males gather in front of our house. They don’t seem to be doing anything more than “hanging out” on the lawn only a few feet from the front door — I suspect the females […]

Minnesota requires all diesel fuel to be B5 biodiesel

| May 2, 2009

Biodiesel advocates are smiling in and for Minnesota as the state has increase it mandated 2 percent biodiesel blend (B2) to  a 5 percent (B5) blend as of May 1, 2009. This make Minnesota the first state to require all diesel fuel being sold in their state to contain 5% biodiesel — fuel made from […]

Hot topic: H1N1 Flu and our health concerns

| May 1, 2009

Watching and archiving the hot topic and some better information as it relates to H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu is a misleading “pork” hindering name). Hopefully this pandemic will only lightly impact our population due to good planning and early information (see Google map in previous post) I do see over the top hype coming from […]

Twitter: From idle chit-chat to business marketing

| May 1, 2009

If you pay attention to technology news at all  you’re probably getting fed up with Twitter  — even if you find yourself tweeting, blogging and talking about it. At least once a week I hear someone say, “I don’t care what someone had for lunch.” I use to try and explain that Twitter is not […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog