Trivia tidbit associated with my pick for person of the year

| December 31, 2011

In tying up loose ends in closing out the year, one story that made a big impact on technology followers was the death of Steve Jobs. He was an inspirational and creative marketing wizard with oddities all too common with those we associate with the “genius” label … and would have been my pick for […]

Winding down 2012 with the List of Banished words – LSSU

| December 30, 2011

Lake Superior State University published their list of words to banish in 2012 and I will do my best to not to use these words next year … but will link to the amazing list compiled from 1975 (link). The new normal for President Obama should be to make the shared sacrifice in not using […]

This Friday 12/30/2011 does not exist in Samoa

| December 29, 2011

I’ve lost my share of days by spinning my wheels or tucked under the covers while sick in bed, but I’ve never heard of literally losing an entire day; that’s what is going to happen this week in Samoa. Samoa is at the tail end of the International Date Line and they have found it […]

Video: Someone needs to fit glasses on this little guy

| December 28, 2011

Just a cute YouTube video that should make this turtle appreciate that he has someone taking care of him and is not out foraging for himself … I don’t think he would make it.

As my wife would say – Carpe Diem

| December 28, 2011

As 2011 winds down many of us reflectively look at the year and ponder where we may have fallen short … and hopefully use the self-analysis to improve in 2012. I saw a note posted on G+ (and may have somewhere previously) and thought a year may be too long. How much time did you […]

Lackluster sales this past year-how about a new marketing plan?

| December 27, 2011

This past week has been a bit more relaxed since selling this time of year is challenging.  I focused on looking back at the past year, but I still tried to connect with a few of my well established customers. In keeping communication light, I asked what would make me more effective and welcomed when […]

The post Christmas blues after a great family time

| December 26, 2011

I’m really NOT depressed that Christmas is over … actually quite relieved … but the time with family did go fast, way too fast. We were fortunate that the Corbett side of the family was able to be together at our house on Christmas day. The weather held and gave all who drove excellent roads […]

Video: One of the better Christmas stories for 2011

| December 25, 2011

Since I didn’t post anything on Christmas day this year, I’ll add this short heartwarming story from CBS a few days late (video below). It is a wonderful Christmas story and might just bring a few tears to your eyes.

Best Buy turns a blunder into positive PR

| December 24, 2011

Almost all companies have customer service issues and what separates the successful from the not-so-successful is how they are able to recover with the least amount of pain. One example this year is Best Buy who in the past was one of my least favorite retailers. During their pre-Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday store […]

Reflecting on our changing lives this Christmas 2011

| December 23, 2011

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The one word is now three words: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

| December 22, 2011

Once upon a time, the word “Plasitcs” was uttered by Mr. McGuire as “enough said” advice for The Graduate in 1967 … nowadays I think we need to start thinking three words or perhaps just the acronym … UAV?   The Graduate (mp3) … one word for you, plastics All I can say is find […]

Avast! Antivirus, Revo Uninstaller and my WordPress install

| December 21, 2011

I’ve been happily using Avast! as my virus scanner for the last couple years … and have been off and on satisfied for over a decade. The company updates always get me concerned knowing that the free version could become as bloated as are many others (paid versions aren’t immune either). Thankfully the most recent […]

Markets rise and lift “almost” all boats – Santa Claus rally?

| December 20, 2011

A very positive day for a broad swath of Wall Street and U.S. based companies. The stock market saw trading return the Dow Jones Industrial Average back over the psychologically challenging 12,000 mark. Those watching the ups and downs realize that one day up 300+ points doesn’t mean all that much … especially when considering […]

Miami Redhawks equipment manager warms up with the team

| December 20, 2011

Brenda and I are enjoying the evenings with our son Taylor who is home from college for Christmas break. He shared a few stories and a cute video from the Miami University (OH) football field that was shown on Sportscenter. The somewhat viral YouTube video (at least on campus) made by the student film team […]

Bi-Lo buys Winn-Dixie and takes them private

| December 19, 2011

For those living south of the Mason-Dixon line, a big merger occurred today with the grocery chain Bi-Lo purchasing the larger Winn-Dixie Stores for $560 million. (link) The smaller privately own company purchased the 480 store Winn-Dixie chain and included 380 pharmacies as well. The news bump the share price up 70% with the $9.50/share […]

Archive: According to Google, winter is here … and cookies!

| December 19, 2011

Fun new winter Google Easter Egg similar to the partial archived list from an earlier post … “Let it snow.” Also thought I’d include the tasty looking Christmas cookies my daughter made … unfortunately she is taking them to work and not bring them too me!

Home for Christmas and making his parent dinner

| December 18, 2011

It doesn’t get much better than this … our son Taylor is home from college for Christmas break and after living off campus decided to make dinner for his parents. What a treat to know that he can cook well enough to take care of himself and enjoys making dinner for us. In appreciation I […]

A Short Neurological Test

| December 17, 2011

Successfully passed the test … so thought I would share it on the blog  instead of irritating friends by forwarding it in an email  (something I very rarely do and always Bcc … hint, hint) 1- Find the C below… Do not use any cursor help. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO […]

New York obviously does not embrace the Second Amendment

| December 16, 2011

I never realized just how restrictive New York firearm laws were until reading this story. It never occurred to me that transporting a pistol in a locked case could be a class C felony, even in a liberal state like New York? I suppose if someone spends their life living under NY restrictions … as […]

Christopher Hitchens dies at 62

| December 16, 2011

Christopher Hitchens, the author, essayist and polemicist who waged verbal and occasional physical battle on behalf of causes left and right and wrote the provocative best-seller “God is Not Great,” died Thursday night after a long battle with cancer. He was 62. more at WSJ.com.

Mitt Romney for President is just fine with me

| December 15, 2011

Well I was going to wait until closer to the Republican primary in Ohio (3/6/2012) to decide which candidate was best to run against the president, but after seeing recent polling, the candidate is obvious. When polls pitting Newt Gingrich against the sitting President Obama, the numbers indicate the President may have an easy re-election, […]

NTSB recommends banning cellphone use while driving

| December 14, 2011

A real hot button topic is being discussed after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended banning portable electronic devices such as cellphones from being used by drivers of automobiles. Distracted driving is fast becoming the seatbelt or drunk driving issue of the day. As someone who spends a significant amount of time on the […]

Video: A feel good story for Humpback Whale lovers

| December 14, 2011

Microsoft Co-Founder to Build Massive Jet for Space Launches

| December 13, 2011

Without NASA, the private sector has a bigger incentive to step up … Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen says he will use his wealth to build the world’s largest airplane as a mobile platform for launching satellites at low cost, which he believes could transform the space industry. Slated to be announced Tuesday, the novel, […]

Apple looking to make a $400 million buy?

| December 13, 2011

With the “in the news” section of Anorbit a bit quiet, the rumor that Apple may be buying the company makes the story a bit more interesting. There might be a good reason for cash rich Apple to begin acquiring a few more of the parts they need to assure production continues for their hot […]

Boeing nabs big Southwest order for 737 jets

| December 13, 2011

Boeing ($BA) just confirmed their largest firm order to date from Southwest ($LUV) with an order for 150 Boeing 737 Max jets (just announced). The deliveries slated to start in 2017 will secure Southwest Airlines as the largest 737 carrier. U.S. discount carrier Southwest Airlines Co. is in talks with Boeing to order 100 to […]

Video: Australian Cattle Dogs

| December 12, 2011

During a little channel surfing this weekend spotted an interesting and educational segment on Australian Cattle Dogs. It interested me because our 14 year old Tootsie is Blue Heeler and the comments were very characteristic of her breed. She is a good pet, but I can attest to the warning regarding “need for exercise” and […]

WebOS survives as open source; HP phone hardware? Doubtful.

| December 11, 2011

The big news from HP’s CEO Meg Whitman this past week is that the operating system they acquired when purchasing Palm last year will remain alive … just in a different form than originally intended. WebOS will soon be “open source to its Linux core.” Some see that as a good thing in hopes that […]

How Doctors Die

| December 10, 2011

What treatments do doctors seek when they get sick? That’s the basis of an article my daughter read to me this week while we were heading out to dinner … it is sobering. Ken Murray’s article in Zócalo Public Square is something I found thought provoking when considering just how far “we” want doctors and […]

Cold weather, time to get a Christmas tree and the 2012 Election

| December 10, 2011

After a few flurries and cold temperatures last night, we woke to the first ice on the small lake in front of our house this morning. Brrr … I’m not ready for winter yet.   Preparing for Christmas on the other hand, is in full swing as I hauled home a tree last night finishing […]

Unintended consequences of Dodd-Frank legislation

| December 9, 2011

Is there a the logic to congress adding yet another layer of legislation in believing they are fixing things for individuals? No … it complicates life for individuals and businesses and ends up costing everybody more … especially for those who appreciate the independence and freedoms that made/makes American unique. The Dodd-Frank bill in just […]

Wireless connections are less than perfect on the boat

| December 8, 2011

A few days of travel away from decent Internet connections has me appreciating my questionable home cable Internet connection (either Time Warner OR my internal network isn’t perfect). I ran a few tests of both the marina BeaconWi-fi and my tethered Sprint Palm Pre and have come to the conclusion that I need to treat […]

Remembering the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor

| December 7, 2011

Today is the day Americans remember those who served and were killed during the Empire of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 – a somber day for 2403 lives cut short.  In a statement, President Obama proclaimed Wednesday "National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day" and reflected on those who rose to the occasion. He […]

You know you have a good wife when she goes up the mast

| December 7, 2011

While escaping the rainy Ohio weather this week, I enjoyed a couple of days in Florida doing boat chores, helped settle Brenda’s mom and dad back into their Delray Beach winter abode … and watched my slip mates next boat over at the marina doing some mast top work. Hubby Mark sent (hoisted) his wife […]

How secure are your smartphone keystrokes?

| December 6, 2011

I’ve been following the Carrier IQ story after it was pointed out that they have been spying researching for carriers on some Android phones. The Verge did a follow up story that give all smartphone users reason to pause. … Carrier IQ has been around for six years and has been installed on over 141 […]

Video: Orca mom passes unique hunting skills to her calf

| December 6, 2011

I don’t watch the BBCLife or NatGeo all that regularly, I do appreciate their fantastic documentaries and brilliant filming. In the above video a Killer Whale passes her unique skills to her calf in hunting elephant seals. The “low volume” audio in this clip describes the danger and intelligence required by these animals to navigate […]

Investing: Looking 10 years out by looking back, but “Yikes!”

| December 5, 2011

While many of us managing our personal retirement plans may have moved to cash in recent years, there is a time to anticipate an end to a recession (at least traditionally) and a reason to reconsider equities once again. Usually it pays to monitor those who have a proven track record when it comes to […]

Leaking port and delayed back surgery for my mom

| December 5, 2011

After weathering the hot summer and safely making it through hurricane season, our sailboat Encore demonstrated that wind and rain from “unnamed storms” can still find its way into a closed boat. One of the port above the book rack dripped some water onto a few books … a couple of them headed straight to […]

It is probably too late to be a “gamer nerd”

| December 4, 2011

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 I enjoyed an article that spoke to one of my weak spots in this weekend’s WSJ. Joe Queenan, in writing about ads promoting movies on the TV,  reflected on how a realistic commercial for video game sucked him in.  I’m in that same camp and find myself wanted to […]

Economy and housing may not be all that rosy in China either

| December 3, 2011

China can’t sit back comfortably while watching the U.S. and Europe struggle to regain  footing, as their economic struggle is showing vacant streets and stopped housing projects (click photo above for Reuters slideshow). China could be the third economic domino as the slowdown rolls west to east around the globe. Here in the U.S. we […]

WVU marching band salutes the U.S. Armed Forces

| December 2, 2011

I may not be a fan of West Virginia University football … but I have no problem applauding their marching band. As a Cincinnati Bearcats and an Ohio State fan … I say “nicely done, WVU.” (thanks for the link Suzanne)

VW clean diesel TDI models — 20% of overall U.S. sales 11/2011

| December 1, 2011

U.S. built 2012 Volkswagen Passat – Motortrend Car of the Year 2012 Volkswagen reported strong sales for November 2011, up 40.7% over last year. The new Passat contributed over 6000 units and the Jetta 11,131 units (a 58.9% increase year-to-date). The somewhat unique to North America 40+ mpg clean diesel models contributed to nearly 20% […]

Video: Jetman Yves Rossy flies in formation

| December 1, 2011

I’ve posted on Yves Rossy  and the Breitling team since his original flights over the Swiss Alps and here’s his “new feat: Flying in formation at full throttle together with 2 jets from the Breitling Jet Team … at their minimum speed. Beautiful images for an outstanding achievement!”

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