Leap Second: Are you ready to lose a second of your life?

| June 30, 2015

This might be a big deal for someone doing computerized “flash trading” but for most of us it would have gone unnoticed for the bulletin. So as a service to you, be warned … you’ll probably get “one-second” less sleep tonight.

Who says Greece is too small to impact world markets?

| June 30, 2015

Seems like about every article I read pointed to the fact that Greece’s economy is only “half the size of Ohio” and that we are insulated from the turmoil over this game of chicken they are playing with the IMF and pending $1.73B payment default. Still traders on Monday in about every market decided this […]

Looking at Google Analytics for My Desultory Blog

| June 29, 2015

I’m bummed to see that total views on MyDesultoryBlog are down about 10% this past year. The drop-off may have to do with  more users looking at things on their mobile devices? Blogs, mine in particular, are difficult to read on a small screen phone and longer copy (like the previous two posts) are not […]

History repeats-Part 2: This is how we know we are getting old

| June 28, 2015

Read ONLY if you don’t’ mind getting lost in the weeds. I felt bit lost in my own country after the Supreme Court decisions this week and am concerned for the future. As a Christian, I’m trying to looking past my own traditional value and faith-based Biblical beliefs which have long been part of our […]

History repeats – Part 1: This is how we know we are getting old

| June 27, 2015

Read ONLY if you don’t’ mind getting lost in the weeds. I felt bit lost in my own country after the Supreme Court decisions this week and am concerned for the future. As a Christian, I’m trying to looking past my own traditional value and faith-based Biblical beliefs which have long been part of our […]

The Supreme Court upholds Obamacare subsidies

| June 25, 2015

Most Americans, not covered under government healthcare programs, have been feeling the higher cost of healthcare since Obamacare as traditional policies give way to high deductible plans which cost them more than their previously “more” inclusive lower deductible plans – so much for “keeping your healthcare plan.” Commonsense dictates that restructuring so those who actually […]

Video: More teasing from Elio Motors

| June 24, 2015

Almost a year since our deposit (ALL IN was in November 2014) and our Elio delivery is still a year or so away … even if everything stays on track! Ugh. Also they are looking to raise a few dollars as a start-up company … although it goes without saying, this should be money you […]

For Sale: My mother-in-law’s 2008 Chevy Trailblazer LT 4WD

| June 23, 2015

S O L D My mother-in-law no longer drives her 2008 Chevrolet TrailBlazer LT 4WD and we’ve decided it is time to sell it.  It would make a great family car for somene who is looking for a solid vehicle. The V-6 five-passenger SUV has a low 62,000 miles and spent most winters in Florida. […]

Advice: Best promo for WSJ.com if you want to try it out

| June 22, 2015

For those of you who are NOT Wall Street Journal readers, but have always wanted to try it out, here’s your chance. The $1 price is about as cheap as I’ve ever seen from WSJ.com  … for a 3 month introductory deal. The yearly or normal monthly subscription is higher and can be hard to […]

Taylor 2.0 – second career position and our weekend recap

| June 22, 2015

Taylor 2.0 … on his way to work (left). Monday, June 22, 2015, is my son’s first day as Planner for Clermont County, Ohio. Hopefully the last two years of high paced work in Williston, North Dakota have set him up well? He should be the perfect fit … but every new position has its […]

Glad to be able to spend a few hours with my dad each week

| June 21, 2015

I’m looking forward to visiting with my dad today and am thankful to still be able to visit with him for another Father’s Day. It’s been a busy year for my brother and me between the concern over him living alone last year, to the hospital stay, rehab and month or so in the nursing […]

App users help @Periscopeco with their Mad Libs update

| June 20, 2015

Users had some fun with a few of the Twitter Periscope programmers this past week in participating in their Mad Libs update copy for the App Store. In keeping with geeky humor (see the “Peter” joke), the jovial staff decided to include 900 of their users in the live update of Periscope Version 1.1.1. Each of […]

TechFriday: Tweaking WordPress with plugin A3 Lazy Load

| June 19, 2015

Plugins for CMS like WordPress are a dime a dozen and many improve the look and use of a WordPress.org blog, but usually at a sacrifice of speed. Recommending them is not usually something I would do … believing that a lean and fast site is better than bulky and slow sites. Unfortunately I’ve fallen […]

Early Roman version of the Swiss Army multi-function tools

| June 18, 2015

For those who carry or admire those multi-folding tools like the Swiss Army knives and tools (like me), here’s something that pre-dates the popular red ones that many of us carry from the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, UK. This multi-function spoon, fork, knife and picks “eating implement” was made from iron and silver and was […]

No wonder – I stared at this before going to bed!

| June 18, 2015

Needed a filler post for Thursday

Buy airline tickets 47 days in advance & on Tuesday afternoon

| June 17, 2015

Now I’ll be the first to admit, I spend too much time agonizing over purchasing things wondering if I’m buying the right model or brand … and am I paying too much. The Internet has only complicated matters since there is even more information to process. It’s the same thing when booking travel … although […]

Twitter autoplay: Save bandwidth and data by changing settings

| June 16, 2015

By default, Twitter now plays video as you scroll through posts. This can both be a bit annoying and will use data, especially on you mobile device with minimal data. To turn off the “autoplay” feature, go to the setting menu on the mobile Twitter app (currently Apple iOS devices only) and “check” either Use […]

Corrosion and planning updates to anchor and chain

| June 16, 2015

The photo above is not mine (thankfully) but from a sailing aquaintance anchoring in SE Asia. He has been noticing fairly rapid chain corrosion in only 3 years and in particular on his anchor shackle. It spends a significant amount of time under the saltwater and we suspect that the shackle of inferior grade — […]

Can $TWTR turn things around without being acquired?

| June 15, 2015

With the stock market opening off 150 points or so this Monday morning, the short sellers are having their way with the social networking stock of Twitter. TWTR is down 3.8% to $34.50 as of 11AM. What is it going to take to see this commercially and widely used service change direction … or will […]

Archive: Programming the Honda garage door Homelink

| June 15, 2015

Erase previous codes by pressing and holding two outside buttons for 20 s until red light flashes. Release buttons, proceed to step 1. Unplug garage door opener from house current. Hold garage door opener remote control 2 – 5 in from HomeLink keeping red light in view. Select Homelink button you want to train. Press […]

Poor flight management by #Delta Airlines at Reagan National

| June 14, 2015

Somebody has had a lousy day of traveling … or is it two days? After 9 days in London, Taylor was up at 6AM UK time on Sunday to get to the airport for his flight back home. Because he had re-booked his ticket from CVG instead of leaving from Williston, ND, he ended up […]

Video: This is what rhinos sound like …

| June 14, 2015

With a sound like this, who would think the Rhinoceros was so dangerous? The Rhinoceros has long been concerned one of the most dangerous animals in the world.LINK

Why is there a tiny hole in airplane windows?

| June 13, 2015

If you have already traveled by airplane, chances are you’ve noticed a tiny hole on the lower portion of all airplane windows The hole is designed to balance out the pressure between the last two layers of a typical pressurized-cabin window. For more images and a more detailed explaination see the article at Interesting Engineering.

Jurassic World opens this weekend and will be a blockbuster

| June 12, 2015

Tell me that Steven Spielberg’s movie Jurassic World (opening June 12, 2015) is not going to be a well attended summer blockbuster? If the 63 million views YouTube movie trailer is any indication (below), it is exactly what the Hollywood and the movie industry plans on when coaxing people to the theaters with these kinds […]

New Balance Shoes: Great product and made in the U.S.A

| June 11, 2015

Although I still own and wear an old pair of New Balance athletic shoes, this is a reminder post to myself (posted before) to consider the New Balance brand when replacing my current Sketchers (no complains as they are great shoes too). I liked the comments in the video (below) and article on CNBC about […]

Happy 26th Birthday to my son Taylor #TBT

| June 10, 2015

This is a birthday greeting for my son Taylor and the video below may not fit the #TBT criteria as well as the one I posted for my daughter Katelyn last month, but the “original birth announcement card” above sure does (the artwork is the handiwork of his older sister). I think a little sailboat […]

How to: Simple gas struts replaced on a lifting rear door

| June 9, 2015

After my son returned from living in “dusty” Williston, North Dakota for a couple of years, the Chevy Trailblazer he was using came back a bit dusty. We noticed after visiting him last year that one of the big differences from Ohio were the lack of paved roads. Thankfully, we did give some thought to […]

Paper shredder: To fix or replace … that is the question?

| June 8, 2015

Just because it can be fixed (Jury/ Jerry Rigged) doesn’t mean it should be repaired? The “old-ish” paper shredder in my home office is often over-fed with too many sheets of paper or plastic credit cards. It usually keeps right on chugging until it overheats, but last week it sputtered, ground the gears and stopped. […]

Noticing more Great White Sharks in Florida

| June 7, 2015

We're continuing to learn about the movement of Great White Sharks near the eastern U.S. and coasts since Ocerea has been tagging a few. It has been shocking to see the number of miles they travel and just how near these large sharks occasionall get to beaches and shallow waters. John Dickinson and his wife […]

Consumers are not satisfied with their cable companies

| June 6, 2015

In a 2015 look at cable companies, very few customers are happy with their providers, in fact the report indicates a couple of the biggest have lost ground (chart below). Barely half of Mediacom Communications, Time Warner Cable and Comcast customers indicate that they are satisfied with service … and the latter two above have […]

Jobs report: 280,000 jobs in May with 5.5% unemployment

| June 5, 2015

The jobs numbers were relatively positive considering the weak growth earlier this year, but still concerning in that the post-recession job growth is not was is normally expected after a recession. Still, one positive is that we are not facing inflation or seeing numbers that would indicate the U.S. is slipping back into a recession. […]

TechFriday: Pre-order a throw-and-shoot camera for $499

| June 5, 2015

Really tempted to pre-order a Lily “non-drone” (company doesn’t like the “drone” term) according to a CNBC article (below). Lily: the world’s first throw-and-shoot camera Deborah Findling | @dfindles For those times when the selfie stick just isn’t good enough, there is now a flying camera. Really. Called the world’s first throw-and-shoot camera, the Lily […]

Blacksmithing Basics: Forge Your Own Flatter | Make:

| June 4, 2015

A flatter is a tool used to make other tools. Make your own flatter and never buy a tool again! Source: Blacksmithing Basics: Forge Your Own Flatter | Make:

A large crawdad wants to play in the pool

| June 3, 2015

We have a few of these crawdad fellows in our yard and small lake, but this guy was closer to lobster size (well not quite) and found his way into the swimming pool. As the 2006 Honda Element ad goes … “I pinch.”

Newly wedded Rachel and David Skinner on May 31, 2015

| June 2, 2015

It was a busy weekend as our family was in town to celebrate my nephew David and Rachel’s wedding just south of Cincinnati in Lakeside Park, Kentucky. The beautiful ceremony was held under a tent in the backyard of their home with close friends and family. Everything was artistic and couldn’t have been nicer. One […]

Freshen up those old Sperry Topsiders for summer

| June 1, 2015

With summertime around the corner, it is time to update on what has almost become an annual boat shoe post (Post 1, 2, 3).  Seasons aside, there really isn’t a time that isn’t right for Sperry Topsiders … in my opinion … but wearing a T-shirt, a pair of shorts and having warm weather makes […]

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