Another sunny day on the beach with B-17 Liberty Belle fly over

| October 31, 2010

The final day of our mini-vacation was spent in the sun and ocean. We relaxed on the beach and enjoyed the sunshine and warm wind. The waves were large enough to make the body surfing fun as Brenda and I soaked up the last few hours before getting ready to head for home. While I […]

Al Gore ‘left car engine running during hour-long environmental lecture’

| October 29, 2010

This is not the first time Al Gore has left fellow environmentalist wondering if the so called ‘Global Warming’ spokesman walks the talk. Hypocrite? Green-minded campaigner Al Gore has been left red-faced after being accused of leaving his car running for almost an hour while he gave a lecture on sustainable development. It is alleged […]

Looking at sailboats – one of my favorite things to do

| October 29, 2010

Checking on a couple more sailboats this October and nearly convinced that we’ve found one that have me reaching for my wallet and counting pennies. I wish I could say that the timing for a boat was right, although I don’t really know when that time is. Too soon and we don’t have the time […]

“Love God” skywriting and our few days of relaxation in Florida

| October 28, 2010

Brenda and I are spending just a few days away from Ohio and work as we’ve often done in October and are enjoying time together in Florida. Besides relaxing on the beach, Brenda has succumbed my desire to look at a couple sailboats (we missed our annual trip to the Annapolis boatshow). The weather has […]

Federal stimulus funds available for Ohio Biofuel companies

| October 27, 2010

Federal stimulus funds are political hot potato as the Novemeber 2010 election draws near, but it is still good to know where the money is being spent. According to Biodiesel Magazine,  the Ohio Department of Development will be using "$8 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to help biodiesel and ethanol […]

Strong weather expect in SW Ohio this afternoon

| October 26, 2010

As the strong front approaches from the Indiana area there is a tornado watch in for the entire Cincinnati area, but warning have been issued everywhere by the National Weather service in anticipation of tornados (odd, thought the “warning” label was maintained for actual tornados?). Radar images show a heavy band and local reports from […]

Speech policing by taxpayer and sponsor funded NPR

| October 26, 2010

In the hyper-sensitive political environment and deeper ‘left’ verses ‘right’ split in America, there are some subjects which some in the media see as off limits to open discussion. The fallout for even broaching certain subjects is that the self-proclaimed “speech police” have little problem threaten ones job or flat out firing perceived offenders — […]

This is what an underwater scream looks like …

| October 25, 2010

Since I ran out of time for blogging today, here’s a great photo from a photo contest by the Herald Sun in Australia with the subject being “Reefs.”

Looking back: 5 years since Hurricane Wilma

| October 24, 2010

Five years? Has it been that long? Every once in a while I check in with my blog’s Way Back Machine (links to the right) and noticed that “Years ago on this day”  5 years ago hurricane Wilma crossed the southern part of Florida. Hurricane Wilma on October 24, 2005

Fuelly.com MPG numbers on my daughter’s VW Jetta TDI

| October 24, 2010

My daughter recently started tracking her 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI fuel economy numbers on Fuelly.com and we have both been impress at the significant improvement since replacing her tires. Although she doesn’t have a lifetime of postings for her car, the regular private calculations haven’t been near the 50 mpg mark. She (we) couldn’t be […]

Test encode 2 – Canon 5d mark II

| October 23, 2010

My friend Jeff and I use a shared folder on Dropbox to send files to each other and this morning he send me a short ‘portrait’ oriented video clip while on his trip to North Carolina. I chuckled when opening the file because by default it is in a “landscape” format (sideways), then wondered how […]

“Burst of air” replacing control surfaces on UAVs

| October 23, 2010

DiscoveryNews had an article in MSNBC highlighting an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) call the DEMON which has fewer moving parts and uses “bursts of air” rather than traditional hinged control surfaces in order to control the aircraft. According to engineers and those working on the project, fewer moving parts will make it easier to maintain […]

Positive things to come for the 2011 VW Jetta TDI

| October 22, 2010

I enjoyed the review from north of our border and liked what this Canadian Driver reporter had to say after driving the both the gasoline powered 2011 Volkswagen Jetta and then the TDI diesel: “Things come alive in the Jetta TDI. This engine has much more power than the Jetta 2.0L, and the throttle is […]

A week of driving and my opinion on sunglasses

| October 22, 2010

After spending most of the week traveling from dawn to dusk each day, I’ve been either too tired or just busy to add a few things that have been on my mind … one of which was my opinions on the firing of Juan Williams by NPR. As a FoxNews viewer and lifetime NPR listener […]

Pima Air and Space Museum and the ‘boneyard’ in Tucson AZ

| October 20, 2010

I got sidetracked yesterday while talking on the phone to a fellow aviation enthusiast as he shared with me his impressions of the Pima Air and Space Museum. He knew that the National Museum of the Air Force was in my backyard and remembering me talk about the Martin B-26 Marauder on display that had […]

Taylor sort of has lunch with the Dalai Lama

| October 19, 2010

While eating lunch at Miami University’s student union, my son sent me a fuzzy cellphone photo without any text. I sent back a “huh” comment and wondered why he sent me the photo of a bald guys head … suspecting he jokingly thought the lack of hair reminded him of his father? He then mention […]

Polling locations, private property, free speech and lawsuits

| October 19, 2010

I’ve often wondered what is and isn’t permitted at local polling locations since many are private properties except for opening their doors on election day. In our suburban township we use schools, churches and building such as union halls, the later generating a lawsuit from a local community group of the Cincinnati Tea Party. Some […]

Test encoding a 30 second video from a Canon 5d MarkII

| October 18, 2010

My friend Jeff is a very fortunate amateur photographer since he is one of the few who own a fantastic Canon 5d Mark II. Although I only had a few minutes to play with it over lunch the other day, I enjoyed tinkering with the buttons and menus (there’s a big learning curve). He has […]

Perfect fall weather weekend for home chores

| October 17, 2010

Farm “art” in Trenton Ohio Brenda and I spent the weekend around home doing fall chores, watching a little football and driving over to Oxford, Ohio to visit Taylor at Miami. Our “to-do” list included shuffling a few of our pieces of art in order to make room for a couple new prints that have […]

Tech Friday posted on a Saturday: At-Large Recorder 2

| October 16, 2010

Not that I’ve been all that regular at posting a “tech tip” on Fridays, but I did try out a new video recording program this week. It is called At-Large Recorder 2 (Windows only) by Applian Technologies and is a DVR of sorts for the Slingbox … which is a piece of hardware that broadcast […]

Hoover Dam bypass bridge set to open next week

| October 15, 2010

Last year about this time I reposted a series of photos highlighting what a fantastic engineering project was underway in the United States. A bridge to bypass the Hoover Dam looks to be one of the civil engineering marvels of this decade. The 1900 foot span crosses the Colorado River and connects Arizona and Nevada […]

Artist Kaziah Hancock’s gift to those who gave the most

| October 14, 2010

When it comes to using artistic gifts and talents for others, Kaziah Hancock is, as Bill O’Reilly would say, a patriot. She is an artist from Utah who tireless donates her artistic endeavors to those who have given their life for their country. According to this video, she lives humbly on a goat farm and […]

Strickland’s deceiving political ads targeting one issue voters

| October 13, 2010

As a lifelong advocate for a citizen’s right to own firearms, even I, a John Kasich supporter, was taken back by the recent political ads from the Ted Strickland (D) reelection campaign which targeted challenger John Kasich (R) and painted him as anti-gun. I thought, “and I’m supporting Kasich?” As is the case with many […]

Watching mine rescue coverage from Chile tonight

| October 12, 2010

The 33 miners trapped in the San Jose mine in Copiapo, Chile are expected to be pulled the 2000+ feet to the surface tonight. The rescue attempt uses a ‘capsule’ lower through a 24 inch pipe & shaft recently bored into the mine. This amazing story of human ingenuity and spirit reminds me of Apollo […]

Upgrading Palm Pre apps: I should know better

| October 12, 2010

While struggling to stay productive during my out of town trip last week, I found it necessary to tether my computer to my Palm Pre a couple of times. On previous trips I bragged about MyTether as a way to do this, but after a summer webOS update it no longer works … so I […]

What’s a “spinnaker face” Mr. Clarkson?

| October 12, 2010

What automotive enthusiast hasn’t chuckled at a few of Jeremy Clarkson remarks on the UK automotive program Top Gear … I’m guessing most of us?  In a recent movie trailer for The Italian Job, Clarkson offers up a few more humorous moments; check out the YouTube trailer of at least the “spinnaker face” clip below. […]

Subaru Forester to get the new 2011 boxer engine

| October 11, 2010

I’ve always been impressed with the durable Subaru boxer engine and look forward to someday seeing the diesel version here in North America. For now, a new, more fuel efficient gasoline model is on it’s way in the 2011 Forester. Subaru details all-new boxer engine family The horizontally opposed engine has been a signature mainstay […]

Hmm, what’s wrong with this headline?

| October 11, 2010

Every once in a while a typo can slip through the cracks, but usually not as a front page headline! (here’s one from the Jamestown Post-Journal while in western New York last week)

Helping family: A long weekend in western NY

| October 11, 2010

My “greatest generation” father-in-law (Brenda’s dad) has been struggling medically for the past month and a half suffering with pain from his back and a fractured hip. After a valiant attempt at rehab and without significant success using drug and therapy, he opted for back surgery in hope to eliminating pain and to regaining functional […]

Cincinnati Bengals and Reds are full of mistakes

| October 10, 2010

While driving home from New York I listened with frustration as the Bengals suffered another loss with a performance that was full of mistakes. Although they had the game wrapped up with a 7 point lead with only 2 minutes left in the game, their veteran players ‘bungled’ the lead and gave way for a […]

Sales of clean diesel models skyrocket in September; hybrids dip

| October 9, 2010

Even with stable gasoline prices and minimal incentives, the sluggish new car buying public are still buying new diesel cars. Sales continue to increase in North America amongst the handful of European brands. Could it be that those who test drive this new breed of ‘clean diesel’ are surprised with how quiet and clean diesel […]

Dow Jones Industrial Average crosses the 11,000 mark

| October 8, 2010

Just before the “flash crash” computerized enhanced market tumble in early May, the DOW had crossed 11,000 … which was the last high water mark until today. The psychological hurdle was crossed most likely due to optimistic news that the November elections could help reel in some of the out of control spending and growth […]

Apple iPhone TV marketing and social networking sites

| October 7, 2010

I don’t recall recall if the Apple iPhone advertisement appeared during the Philly’s no-hitter 4-0 win against the Reds or not, but the ad was intriguing in that the Twitter and Twitpic information had me checking the links. The marketing establish @gagebock account (currently 60-some friends) and Twitpic photo (700+ views) that was used in […]

Sophie Tucker: This ‘Survivor Dog’ reminds me of Tootsie

| October 6, 2010

While celebrating our dog Tootsie’s 13th birthday on Tuesday – she’s a teenager (born: 10/5/1997) – I caught the last few minutes of an Animal Planet program “Weird, True and Freaky – Lost and Found.” I remember mentioning the story on my blog about a cattledog that fell off of a sailboat and survived on a […]

Suffering child? Any good mother would put a pillow over its face

| October 5, 2010

I’m generally not surprised how casual some people are when it comes to abortion (some even late term abortion)… but I was shocked to hear British television pundit Virginia Ironside on a BBC Sunday talk program saying she would suffocate a child with a pillow to end its suffering. Ms. Ironside was equally as “loving” […]

My 2006 Honda Pilot 4WD and fuel economy

| October 4, 2010

I’ve tracked nearly 200 fuel fill-ups while driving a 2006 Honda Pilot 4WD and have been wondering if the new tires have impacted my efficiency. I do know that the new Michelins have significantly better wet traction than the long lasting Goodyear Integrity tires that came on the SUV. In creating a quick chart, after […]

First 4 days of Baseball playoff times announced

| October 3, 2010

Major League Baseball has announced its schedule for the first four days of division series. The Reds will play the Phillies for game one late on October 6th (5:07 PM EST) – it’s going to be a challenging match-up. Game two will be early on Friday evening – 6:07 PM EST. Sunday afternoon for me […]

Family weekend at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio

| October 2, 2010

Brenda and I enjoyed visiting our son on Saturday for Family Weekend at Miami University. Although we didn’t spend the entire day with all the planned activities, we did enjoy a brunch with his professors and department head. It was nice to be in a small group talking with them about internships and future options […]

Tech Friday: Finally adding Disqus commenting to my blog

| October 1, 2010

It’s been on the list of things to do, but since my personal blog isn’t necessarily a ‘must read’ for people, I’ve been slow to adopt a better commenting methods or in this case “discussion” method — Disqus = dis·cuss • d?-sk?s’. After reviewing and listening to the opinions of tech savvy friends, I’ve opted […]

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