My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on July 26, 2024

Although waiting until 2026 is a long time down the road, I’m still interested in a foldable iPhone. Every few month another rumor hints that Apple is working on an iPhone that will fold.

Personally I’m hopefully that it will be a “flip” model as in recent articles, perhaps similar to Motorola’s Razr+ (left) or Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip (right). Who knows what Apple is working on … I assume one iPhone that flips and maybe one that folds along the vertical side for more screen real estate?  I do miss my old favorite, the PalmOS Samsung SPH-i500. 

Anyway, I’m hopeful even though I need to replace the borrowed iPhoneXS that I’m currently using. I’ve already struggled with a discounted iPhone 15 Pro and regretting the lost hours in switching back and forth … but thankfully received a full refund from the vendor who stood behind the sale. Hm … how long can I keep Jeff’s 2018 backup iPhone before he demands it back? 😉 

Apple is working on a “clamshell” design iPhone, similar to the Galaxy Z Flip series, according to a report Tuesday from The Information. The new design, which could be ready as early as 2026, will coincide with Apple’s plans to also release newly improved camera technologies, including a variable aperture, the report added. This feature would allow iPhone camera users to change the amount of light and potential detail the lens captures. The result would create different effects, such as a natural “bokeh” blurred background.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

CNET

Category: Apple, Cellphone, Friends, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: apple, articles, cnet, flipphone, galaxy, iphone, motorola, razr+, reuters, rumors, samsung, tech friday, techfriday, verge, zflip

Posted By RichC on July 25, 2024

The indices took a dive on Wall Street on Wednesday as the Magnificent Seven tech stocks that have lead the stock market recently, sold off after Alphabet $GOOGL(parent of Google) and Tesla $TSLA disappointed with earnings. 

As a WSJ live post put it, “the thrashing wiped out hundreds of billions of dollars in market value from the Magnificent Seven stocks.”

Barron’s Advisor commented, “Investors are also likely double-guessing their take on artificial intelligence and whether the massive investments will see the payoff they’ve imagined.”

For those smaller companies (and home shoppers) who have been waiting and wanting to borrow, there is hope on the horizon. An economic slump along with easing inflation may cause the Fed to begin their easing.  Most watchers believe that the Fed will begin lowering rates with a quarter point in September and perhaps go another quarter point by the end of the year.

Who knows, since the economy and relatively stable jobs situation (unemployment rate)  has tolerated the Fed’s attempt to slow the economy.  We’ve been in a much higher inflationary environment than in years past so seeing people continue to spend and travel has been surprising to me (considering goods and services have risen much higher and faster than wages). 

Category: Financial, News | No Comments »
Tags: economy, investing, stocks, trading

Posted By RichC on July 24, 2024

Since the earlier post this morning was “private” … for friends and family … it seemed like a good idea to archive another “texted to me” photo from last week.

My brother Ron has been enjoyed trips up to “his” new property (our old property) and reconnecting with neighbors. He sent a photo out perch fishing with Jim Raab on Lake Erie … just like the old days … and let me know he was enjoying retirement (wow, shocking since 2018). Super nice! 

Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Recreation, Retirement | No Comments »
Tags: fishing, jim raab, lake erie, perch, retirement, ronc

Posted By RichC on July 24, 2024

This content is restricted.

Category: Archive, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, ellerie, family, granddaughers, summer, toledo zoo

Posted By RichC on July 23, 2024

The political news this past weekend, after a successful Republican Convention in Milwaukee WI, was that President Joe Biden finally succumbing to pressure and bowed out of his 2024 re-election campaign. For most paying attention, it has been clear for sometime that age was catching up to him. Most in the know, saw the obvious symptoms of dementia, despite so many Democrats … and sadly MSM … defending what they were seeing with their own eyes and ears. President Biden’s lack of mental acuity is noticeable. It is not something anyone wants to see happening to those getting older, but in this case, it is especially disturbing noting that his family didn’t or couldn’t step in. As was noted with President Reagan at the end of his second term, it becomes increasingly dangerous for our country and world for those who struggle to carry out the already challenging job of President of the United States. 

The immediate concern for most of us is, “can he continue to serve as POTUS until January 2025?” His decline has been noticeable over the past 4 years, but seems to be accelerating since spring. Perhaps it is more obvious due to running a re-election campaign? I hope … but am not confident … that his cabinet, advisors, doctors, family and vice president are keeping a close eye on him. That said, VP Kamala Harris hasn’t necessarily inspired confidence in handling the few tasks she has been assigned.

I suspect that the Democratic Convention at the end of August in Chicago could be a riotous one as not every Democrat is fully behind Kamala Harris for President. Personally I think the unpopularity of a Harris/??? ticket would make for the best case scenario opponent for the Trump/Vance GOP ticket … but then that’s just me.

Category: News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: aging, campaign, dementia, government, joe biden, kamala harris, potus, president of the united states

Posted By RichC on July 22, 2024

The music from the 1970s never fails to catch my ear when I’m listening to the segment music to the Fox Business programming that I listen to during the weekdays.

A song by Heart was used on Varney & Co segment change and then again played on SiriusXM’s The Bridge over the weekend. So for this Music Monday I’ll dig up a “Nostalgic Rock” video from 1977 of their hit “Dreamboat Annie” … from the album of that same name released in 1975.

Through the years of from 1975 to 2016, the band Heart has produced 16 albums … but my favorite music comes from their early albums. According to a Wikipedia entry, they still would like to tour as a band, but as with all from that era, getting older isn’t making it easy. 😉 

On January 29, 2024, Heart announced their 2024 Royal Flush World Tour, where they would be playing several dates with Cheap Trick, Def Leppard, Journey, and Squeeze. The summer 2024 UK and Europe dates were cancelled due to Ann Wilson undergoing a medical procedure in late May, which was later confirmed to be for removing a cancerous growth.

Category: Music, Video | No Comments »
Tags: 1977, dreamboat annie, heart, mp4, music monday, music video, musicmonday

Posted By RichC on July 21, 2024

Have you ever started to read one of those book that you don’t want to put down? Here’s one:

Holger Eckhertz published a two volume set from the viewpoint of German soldiers in “D-Day Through German Eyes” in 2016. It is a different perspective than most of us learn and view the events of June 6, 1944 when it comes to studying World War II history.

The author transcribed and wrote the books based on interviews conducted by his grandfather, Dieter Eckhertz, a German military journalist during World War II. He wrote a series of interview with German soldiers manning the “Atlantic Wall” prior to “the invasion” and follow-up interviews with those who survived after the war. Most of these men were ordinary German soldiers assigned to defend the Normandy coast.

One can’t help but come away with just how terrible war is and why mankind repeatedly ends up slaughtering each other time and time again throughout history? My bewilderment aside, the recorded history from a point of view most readers of military history do not see.

“D-Day Through German Eyes” offers a perspective …

…  in which ordinary German troops struggled to make sense of what was facing them, and emerged stunned at the weaponry and sheer determination of the Allied troops. Above all, we now have the unheard human voices of the individual German soldiers – the men who are so often portrayed as a faceless mass.

Unfortunately the interviews and translation comes with skepticism as to the authenticity. While reading, it seems to be brutal and filled with details that only those “in the trenches” could recall … but nevertheless, some say that they were unable to corroboration the interviews, etc … and that is it a hoax. Hm?

The book is not without its controversy. Giles Milton, a prominent WW2 historian, calls it an elaborate fabrication, with compelling evidence to support his claim. There are no details to be found of the German publishing house DTZ History Publications, nor of the translation service Sprech Media. Of the soldiers interviewed by Eckhertz, there is no trace, not even in the Bundesarchiv (the German National archives). This could have been attributed to the author changing names to protect identities, but nowhere in the book is this mentioned. While information regarding publications and even magazine covers of Die Wehrmacht have survived to date, nothing can be found about Dieter Eckhertz; the closest search result was of Dietrich Eckart, the man who purportedly was Hitler’s mentor but who died in 1923. For someone claiming to be such a prolific writer of a German propaganda magazine, he is awfully secretive.

This claim is countered by Robert Kershaw, another historian who says that the detailed description of the events and the intimate knowledge of the happenings could only have been known by someone present at the scene. It may be that Dieter Eckhertz was the name adopted by the author after the War for reasons known only to him, and his grandson continued the charade. Whatever may be the case, no matter which side you choose to believe, the fact is that as a book that provides a rare inverted look into one of the most impactful historical events of the War.

LINK

Category: Books, History, Millitary | No Comments »
Tags: allies, axis, d-day, german, holger eckhertz, nazi, reading, war, ww2