My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on May 16, 2025

Having tested and used ElevenLabs “text to speech” artificial intelligence software in the past, at newer “Voice Changer” (and clean up) application came available recently. I’m not sure where it might be useful, but I especially liked the “clean up” (removing background noise) and “speaker boost” filter … but unless there is a reason to put your own personal voice through the app for each recording, I’m not sure it would be useful for everyday purposes? Still, it is impressive technology and fast, at least for short recordings.
 

Category: AI, Audio, Computer, Human Interest, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: ai, artificial intelligence, elevenlabs, tech friday, techfriday, voice changer

Posted By RichC on May 15, 2025

Although I recall posting a “winter slumber” video of my 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel a decade ago, it has been a while — don’t look at the dust!

So … after noticing the battery had lost some of its charge while “sleeping,” I decided to put the solar charger to work my W123 after taking a short video of the sweet sound of this well engineered car … and its OM617a “million miler diesel engine.”
 

Category: Automotive, Mercedes, Photos, Solar, Video | No Comments »
Tags: 1982, 300d, mercedes, solar charger, turbodiesel, W123

Posted By RichC on May 14, 2025

One never knows the connections that might be made online these days — and not all of them are of the negative variety. 

I had the pleasure of talking with Bill Rogers from New York who happened to run across my MDB post from 2016 on Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Ed “Too Tall” Freeman and he took the initiative to look up my phone number and left me a voicemail. I think he was looking for a way to contact the Freeman’s family (likely in Idaho), but I returned his call and we had a very pleasant conversation just the same. 

He asked if I would like to listen to the song he and his wife wrote about Captain Ed Freeman. Politely I said yes (not expecting much) and mentioned that I would like to include it on my personal blog. He agreed and forwarded it on to me — it brought goosebumps to my arm and is wonderful to know still exists (see X.com post below the break too).
 

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Category: Human Interest, Millitary, Music, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: bill rogers, ed freeman, medal of honor, Music, song, us army, vietnam, vietnam war

Posted By RichC on May 14, 2025

This content is restricted.

Category: AI, Archive, Idioms, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, birthday, drew, ellerie, family, geoffrey chaucer, idiom, idioms, katelyn, quote

Posted By RichC on May 13, 2025

Blue collar advocate Mike Rowe was interviewed on the FoxBusiness channel that I monitor daily and mentioned the ongoing crisis of “Men Without Work” … or capable men that have stopped looking for work. He mention the 2017 book by Nicholas Eberstadt and since I’ve always been concerned that since Industrial Education has been discounted by many and removed from schools, that we have ill-prepared “men” (and women) for the skilled trade jobs available. 

I borrowed the audio version of the book and am looking forward to what Eberstadt’s conclusion might be … or at least help me get a better handle on why Americans aren’t focused on learning the skills and working.

Hopefully I’ll make it through the almost 4 hours of audio and use it to make sense of why so many men in America chose NOT to work or even gain the skills for the jobs available and want to provide for themselves and their families rather than exist in poverty? 

Check out my thoughts from last weekend in an editorial that I’m submitting to TheHustings on tariffs and the Trump administration’s attempt to bring back manufacturing jobs to the United States.

Category: Books, Education, Human Interest | No Comments »
Tags: 2017, audiobook, blue collar, foxbusiness, men without work, mike rowe, nicholas eberstadt

Posted By RichC on May 12, 2025

Before leaving Florida and driving back to Ohio this spring, we waited a little longer in able to update and install fiber for our Internet and TV at the condo in Delray Beach. Although Xfinity has been stable, the BlueStream Fiber combined services was newly contracted by the HOA — it’s actually a big improvement and nearly identical to what we have at our house.

Upgrades aside, I also installed the BlueStream app on my iPhone and so far it works well. As a test beside the normal TV video, I tried streaming the “Flashback 70’s” radio stream and picked up a forgotten song and musician from 1973. So for Music Monday, here’s “The Morning After” …  the only chart single by Maureen McGovern … although she did have a long career in music for movies and in musicals.

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Category: Entertainment, Music, Streaming, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: 1970s, bluestream, condo1718, delray beach, fiber, florida, maureen mcgovern, music monday, musicmonday, the morning after, xfinity

Posted By RichC on May 11, 2025

Because my mom loved birds and Brenda loves the beauty in nature, for Mother’s Day this year it is not flowers or a card, but a technology assisted Happy Mother’s Day with a beautiful cardinal. Of course this isn’t the first time he or his friends appeared on our Wyze Cam (they come every year) but his color was bright and bold … and triggered a “person detected” yesterday.

I’m not doing the expected flowers (number one Mother’s Day gift in the US, by the way) or candy, but the kind my wife dislikes the most: a tech gift. She (or we) occasionally squabble over the Apple Watch charging cord (she left her’s at the condo), so decided to add a nightstand charging stand and new multi-port 40 watt power block to charge her other electronic gear. More cords to tinker with … but I think it will ultimately be helpful. Happy Mother’s Day, Brenda. (more…)

Category: Holiday, Nature, Personal, Photos, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: annual, cardinal, mother's day, selfie, wyze, wyzecam3