My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on June 16, 2026

Yesterday’s announcement of a preliminary Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the US and Iran marks a significant step toward de-escalation after months of conflict. The interim agreement, which includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, has already delivered tangible relief to global markets. President Trump stated that the strait “will be completely opened” by Friday, promising toll-free transit in the long term. This critical waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of global seaborne oil passes, had been heavily disrupted, contributing to elevated energy prices and broader economic strain. While I don’t want to be negative regarding forward movement towards peace, I’m skeptical that this will be a lasting peace or a good deal for the US or provide a lasting Middle East peace.

Market Reaction:

Stocks rallied sharply on the news. The tech-heavy Nasdaq surged more than 3%, leading the major indexes higher. The S&P 500 climbed around 1.6-1.75%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added over 450 points to close at a fresh record, as reported non-stop by CNBC and Fox Business. Tech and chip stocks gained heavily, with SpaceX shares jumping notably post-IPO momentum.

More importantly for lower and middle income Americans, oil prices dropped sharply, easing inflation concerns. Brent crude fell about 4.8-5% to around $83.17 per barrel—its lowest close since early March. WTI crude declined similarly to roughly $80.75. European natural gas prices also tumbled, and bond yields retreated as rate hike expectations moderated.
This positive market response reflects hope for restored energy flows, lower input costs for businesses and consumers, and reduced geopolitical risk. While challenges remain (including nuclear concerns and regional dynamics), today’s developments offer a welcome breath of stability. Here’s to diplomacy yielding practical results that benefit American families and the global economy.

Category: Energy, Financial, News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: cnbc, economy, energy, foxbusiness, inflation, investing, iran, mou, oil, wsj

Posted By RichC on June 15, 2026

This past weekend, we enjoyed a long weekend with our family. KDAE met their friends at our house for some pool time and some summertime food before a trip to Kings Island (FIVE girls — all about the same age – yes, they had fun).

Besides a good time with their friends, we had a nice time as a family too. We met Taylor and Megan on Sunday to belatedly celebrate Taylor’s birthday and hear about their trip to Alaska.

BUT … to keep this on the Music Monday theme, Katelyn mentioned a song she heard and learned to line dance to with friends; she thought I might like the song … so streamed it to our kitchen TV. It was timely in that I didn’t have a song ready for today and decided to include Ella Langley and “Choosin’ Texas.” The best part was that besides just listening to it, she also demonstrated the dance moves … which triggered us in remembering watching my mom and dad dancing with their square dancing club — serious moves. Then again, my parents both grew up at a time when “dancing” was the “in” thing for socializing with friends, especially in the 1950s. I know for a fact that my mom would have throughly enjoyed watching Katelyn dance. 😊 

Category: Archive, Music, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: choosin' texas, dancing, ella langley, family, line dancing, music monday, musicmonday, pool, swimming, youtube

Posted By RichC on June 14, 2026

Young Brexton Busch, son of the late NASCAR star Kyle Busch, returned to the track this week — and the moment is as emotional as it is inspiring. The #18 car, carrying sponsors like Servpro, Lucas Oil, StarKist, and others, hits the asphalt once again, carrying forward a passion shared between father and son.

Watching Brexton back at the track is both heartbreaking and beautiful all at once because there are moments when I catch a glimpse of Kyle in him, the same determination, the same passion, the same spark, and for a second it feels like a piece of him is still right here with us. These moments are incredibly hard, but they also remind me that Kyle’s story isn’t over. It lives on through the dreams he inspired and the two children he loved more than anything.

Samantha Busch shared a heartfelt message on social media this past week that captured the mix of heartbreak and hope the family is feeling.

In the hospital, I made Kyle a promise. I promised him that I would do everything I could to help our children pursue their dreams no matter what.

For Brexton, that dream is racing.

It wasn’t a dream Kyle chose for him. It was something they shared. They spent countless hours talking about race cars, working together, dreaming together, and building a bond around something they both genuinely loved. Racing is what lights Brexton up and as long as it’s the dream in his heart, I’ll be right there beside him, cheering him on every step of the way.

And if one day his dreams take him somewhere else, that’s okay too. And if Lennix wants to get behind the wheel (we just bought her a kart for her 4th bday) it won’t be the same as having Kyle by her side but we will do our absolute best.

The racetrack has been home for our family for nearly 20 years. It’s where some of our greatest memories were made, where our kids grew up, and where so much of our life together happened. Right now when so much of our world feels unfamiliar it’s also one of the few places that still feels like home.

Every time we get to the track, we’re reminded that a piece of our team is missing. The person who should be standing beside us isn’t there. That part is heartbreaking. But it’s also where we feel closest to him, surrounded by the memories, the people, and the dreams he helped build.

So, we race on ❤️

A beautiful tribute to resilience, love, and keeping a family’s racing spirit alive. Wishing Brexton (and the whole Busch family) safety and joy on the track.

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Category: Automotive, Human Interest, Social Media, Sports | No Comments »
Tags: brexton busch, kurt busch, kyle busch, nascar, racing, samantha busch, x.com

Posted By RichC on June 13, 2026

The Atlantic hurricane season in Florida is predicted to be below-average in activity for 2026 — runs from June 1 to November 30 with the peak activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October.

According to the forecasters (rolling my eyes), the subdued outlook is primarily driven by the expected development of a strong El Niño pattern, which increases vertical wind shear across the Atlantic, suppressing tropical storm formation and intensification. While warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the western Atlantic provide some fuel for storms, the El Niño effect is forecast to dominate.

Key forecasts from major meteorological institutions include:

Colorado State University: Predicts 13 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher).

NOAA: Forecasts 8–14 named storms, 3–6 hurricanes, and 1–3 major hurricanes, with a 55% chance of a below-average season.

AccuWeather: Anticipates 11–16 named storms, 4–7 hurricanes, and 2–4 major hurricanes. Despite the below-average predictions, the East Coast of the U.S. still faces a 15% probability of a hurricane making landfall.

Experts emphasize that only one hurricane is needed to cause significant impact. 😉 

Category: Weather | No Comments »
Tags: 2026, ani gif, atlantic, caribbean, El Niño, florida, hurricane, noaa, ocean, storms, weather

Posted By RichC on June 12, 2026

I’m an Apple guys from way back, so I watched the WWDC 2026 conference this past week — as usual, lots of marketing hype, but is the same ol’ same ol’ promises. That aside, I did purchase scripting software from the developer who created MarsEdit, Daniel Jalkut at Red Sweater: FastScripts3.  😉 

The promises felt very familiar to the 2024 Apple Intelligence announcements, where Apple first hyped a smarter Siri with on-device/off-device hybrid smarts, personal context, app actions, and generative features—only for many elements to be delayed or rolled out gradually amid execution challenges. Critics and analysts noted it as a “do-over” or “long-delayed overhaul” to close the gap with rivals like Google, OpenAI, and others who’ve advanced faster in conversational AI. Apple emphasized privacy, on-device processing where possible, and practical integration over flashy demos, but skepticism remains until real-world use (beta feedback has been mixed-positive on polish but questions linger on depth vs. competitors). It echoes past cycles: big stage promises for Siri as a “profoundly more capable assistant” that finally delivers on ~15-year-old vision, yet framed as catching up rather than leaping ahead. Tim Cook’s last WWDC as CEO unfortunately didn’t leave with much of a big deal legacy moment.

Overall, WWDC 2026 was a software-focused event doubling down on AI as the future while addressing Siri frustrations head-on. It delivers many long-teased capabilities, but as with prior years, the proof will be in sustained performance, reliability, and whether it meaningfully differentiates from the competition once in users’ hands this fall. If you’re on supported hardware, the betas should give a taste soon.

Category: AI, Apple, Business, Marketing, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: $AAPL, apple, artificial intelligence, fastscripts, marsedit, promises, red sweater, siri, tech friday, techfriday, wwdc

Posted By RichC on June 11, 2026

An online “automotive and aviation enthusiast” friend on X.com shares what he calls “Useless Tweets” and posted one recently that might give away his age … and since I chimed in, mine too!

 Today’s Useless Tweet : Yes, I am THIS old… (JWRIII — image right)

An added tweet regarding car radios and other radios manufactured at that time added markings to their AM radio dials (see a previous post). I realized only after looking at the Zenith Transoceanic Shortwave radio that I had as a kid, that mine indeed has CD (Civil Defense) markings on the AM band too. 

CD stands for Civil Defense and refers to specific markings found on the AM dials of radios manufactured in the United States between 1953 and 1963.

The shortwave radio listening I did growing up was key to my interest in amateur radio and getting my license. I wish I were a bit more active, but computers and connectivity through the Internet has filled that interest … although I do keep my K4RDC vanity license and often contemplate getting my radios out again. 

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Category: History, Human Interest, Radio, Social Media, TBT | No Comments »
Tags: amateur radio, butler county, civil defense, conelrad, map, ohio, radio, voa, zenith

Posted By RichC on June 10, 2026

We really don’t need to “wish” Taylor a Happy Birthday this year, because he is already definitely having a fabulous birthday on an Alaskan cruise with Megan. Nevertheless, Happy Birthday Taylor!

They have been sending great photos already and his daily updates are making me a little bit envious. So glad they took this trip. 

Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: alaska, cruise, happy birthday, megan, taylor, vikings