RichC | September 30, 2006
I’m generally not attracted to poetry, or classical prose for that matter, but I do have a couple of favorites. One such poet is Robert Frost who’s recently discovered poem is being published in the Virginia Quarterly Review. The poem entitled “War Thoughts at Home” was discovered 88 years after it was handwritten in the […]
RichC | September 29, 2006
The rain and cold front passed, the sky cleared and the sun melted behind a scenic Ohio farm setting as I made my usual 4 hour drive home from Cleveland to Cincinnati last night. The soothing autumn sun set made for a relaxing trip as it disappeared behind fields of future renewable fuel. 😉 Fuel […]
RichC | September 28, 2006
***Click for larger version of this chart*** The chief measuring stick for the stock market, the Dow Jones Industrials, closed at 11,718.45 and briefly traded at record levels today. Shortly after the 9:30 market open, the index was trading above its record high close of 11,722.98 set back on January 14th, 2000. For some this […]
RichC | September 27, 2006
Venezuelan-controlled Citgo Petroleum Corporation is being dumped as gasoline supplier for the convenience store operator 7-Eleven according to a statement released by the company. This is a major chance for 7-Eleven since the two companies have had close relationship considering Citgo has supplied 7-Eleven’s 2,100 locations for 20 years. The action comes only a week […]
RichC | September 27, 2006
As much as I like Crocs as a company, a stock (CROX) and as a trendy shoe ‘fad,’ the recent jump in stock price in a hot stock market triggered one of my self imposed trading rules today: it moved 15% up or down in 3 days so I sold at $34.64 this morning. (I’m […]
RichC | September 27, 2006
Information Week offered a report card review on several of the most popular Internet browsers like: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Opera. I’ve used several popular browsers and have adopted Firefox as my personal favorite. (I’m also fond of the fact it runs the same on Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems) Nevertheless, the latest […]
RichC | September 26, 2006
The prototype of the 2008 Volkswagen ‘common rail‘ diesel powered Jetta TDI was on display along with several other vehicles in Boston last weekend and a member from the TDIClub was there to snap a couple photos. Of course I’m late to the table in commenting on this as several diesel related blogs and publications […]
RichC | September 25, 2006
Not since the ‘finger wagging’ incident in the oval office has President Clinton chastised someone the way he did Chris Wallace and the media (primarily FoxNews) in a Sunday newshow interview. The interview was intended to focus on promoting President Clinton’s “Global Initiative,” but ended up off topic. In the 20 minute interview, loved him […]
RichC | September 25, 2006
We all know that diesel cars are among the stingiest on fuel, but then their has always been that emissions hurdle … until now. Honda has one upped their diesel leading European counterparts with a new fuel efficient California ready four cylinder car. It will be the first to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency strict […]
RichC | September 24, 2006
Entering a quick personal weekend update from my Treo smartphone with an attached sunset photo as I ride with my son driving a few practice hours before he takes his driving test later this fall. It was a nice weekend after a cooler and rainy start on Saturday. The Friday night high school football game […]
RichC | September 23, 2006
The folks over at Treonauts forum sleuthed some new photos of the much talked about antenna-less Treo 750. The phone itself is said to reflect the desire for a sleeker full feature PDA/Phone and will be first introduced running the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system, hopefully followed by Palm OS. The network will be initially […]
RichC | September 22, 2006
Since there are a few VW owners reading these posts, I told my nephew I would give hime a hand in selling a set of 4 Dropzone Suspension springs he purchased for his 2000 VW A4 Jetta. (click for large photo) He has since sold the car and purchased a minivan after never getting around […]
RichC | September 22, 2006
The Hezbollah rabble-rouser gave an inperson speech today in southern Beirut in a rally celebrating a ‘victory’ over Israel. One has to wonder if 1) he is a target in such a large gathering, 2) if his speaking will inspire more terror and/or 3) will make the United Nations/Lebanon’s job of disarming Hezbollah and preventing […]
RichC | September 21, 2006
Heads must have turned as the World Solar Rally made it way through the cities and countrysides of Taiwan this past week. As regular readers know, I’ve been following the Rally through the eyes of Team UNM University of Minnesota and their vehicle Borealis III. The team managed to perform well the final few days […]
RichC | September 21, 2006
In an early morning landing today the Shuttle Atlantis returned safety to Florida at 6:21 EST. The “in the dark” landing was near perfect and as many pilots can confirm, clear morning landings on a lit paved runways are no more difficult than daylight landings. This STS-115 mission marked NASA’s official entry back into the […]
RichC | September 20, 2006
I filled up this morning at a Sunoco station in central Ohio that offers clean alternate fuel to travelers on Interstate I-71 between Columbus and Cleveland. This station, as of September 2006, offers corn-based ethanol – E85 – and soy-based Biodiesel in three blends: B2 (2%), B5 (5%) and B20 (20%). Pricing is competitive with […]
RichC | September 19, 2006
As usual, Microsoft (for which I reluctantly am still a shareholder), continues to maintain its lead in technology ‘copycatting.’ I will forever remain mystified as to how this company ever was able to capture the lions share in operating systems and software business in operating the way it does? Perhaps the ‘Walmart-ish’ operating strategy and […]
RichC | September 18, 2006
Considering I’m behind in getting up today’s post and haven’t posted a video clip recently … today’s post will be a clip served up over at Google Videos (at bottom). Besides including of one of my favorite sea mammals, the Orca or Killer Whale (I worked with Shamu at Sea World many years ago), the […]
RichC | September 17, 2006
A physically painful win for some of the Cincinnati Bengal players against the underdawged Cleveland Browns. The final score of 34-17 doesn’t tell the whole story, as several key Cincinnati players suffered injuries in a hard played game. The bright spot for Cincinnati, in their second win of the season, is that Carson Palmer looked […]
RichC | September 17, 2006
The first day of racing for the World Solar Rally has the eleven university teams competing in an airport circuit race. The race included tight turns which posed a problem for the University of Minnesota team and their car, Borealis III. (see standings) The tight fast cornering gave the team tire trouble as they experienced […]
RichC | September 17, 2006
Terrorism is the major worldwide issue for many elected to govern our country, unfortunately a poll recently release has only 11% of questioned US Citizens put ‘terrorism’ as the highest priority item this upcoming election. That’s difficult to believe until you realized that the poll separates Iraq from the terrorism question. If the two are […]
RichC | September 16, 2006
Laptop computers came up in conversation today as my kids and I were sitting at the kitchen table. My daughter commented that her professor was joking about using technology in one of her classes and pulled out a 1990’s laptop that had some size to it. They started laughing since it was ‘large’ relative to […]
RichC | September 15, 2006
This getting painted and dressed for our local Lakota East High School football game is starting to become a superstitious ritual. Four games into the season our local high school is now 2 – 2 thanks in part to team spirit — well I’m not sure about that. Nevertheless, the past couple Friday nights a […]
RichC | September 15, 2006
I commented back in July and updated in August, on a solar racing team from the University of Minnesota that was heading to Taiwan for a World Solar Rally. I been monitoring and receiving updates from them regularly as they unpack their equipment and Borealis III entry. (vehicle and team in Taiwan above) The group […]
RichC | September 14, 2006
This week on my trek through the state of Ohio I was driving my ‘thirsty’ (not ‘thrify’ — see previous post) Honda Pilot and started looking for the lowest cost gasoline. The excellent site GasBuddy does a pretty good job and has a great database posting results of dedicated ‘watchers’ in real time to the […]
RichC | September 14, 2006
BIRDING NEWS — Ramana Athreya, member of India’s Mumbai’s Natural History Society, has detailed a new bird species he calls the Bugun Liocichla. It is a multicolored bird and is located in the remote Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The bird has been named Bugun Liocichla after the Bugun tride […]
RichC | September 13, 2006
Car Buyer’ Notebook reported that there is a new charity auction on Ebay today. I found the story interesting not for the car, but for the questionable vanity plate. The hopeful promotion, which will benefit Girls Inc., is selling Warren Buffett’s 2001 Signature Series Lincoln Town Car and includes the famed investor’s – THRIFTY – […]
RichC | September 13, 2006
In keeping with my desultory theme, I’ll offer a congratulations to my good friend Tim and his wife Julie on the birth of their 3rd child … their first son. Nathan was born on 9/12/2006 at 8:20AM at 6lbs 15oz and 19 3/4″ – long or tall – which is it? Nevertheless both mother and […]
RichC | September 12, 2006
Apple Computer Inc. had their semi-surprise news shindig today as Steve Jobs announced that they will be selling Disney new releases on their iTunes Store for $14.99 for a full-length download. This alone is probably good news, but then the company also introduced a ‘bigger’ iPod player for $349. (long awaited as timeline as technology […]
RichC | September 12, 2006
I’ve been planning my comment regarding the 5 anniversary of 9/11 just like everyone else, but fear there is no way to do it properly. How does one respectfully acknowledge the murder of 3000 ordinary citizens without getting angry and showings one’s bias? Initially I was going to just do a somber reflection, but as […]
RichC | September 11, 2006
A picture is worth 1000 words if you are driving a diesel car or truck. This spread is the largest I’ve ever seen. Hopefully we’ll see a little down pressure on diesel fuel too, as some friend traveling in Kentucky spotted diesel fuel priced around $2.50/gallon. (I’m posting from my Palm Treo 700p camera while […]
RichC | September 11, 2006
In keeping with the VW posts, J.D Power annouced that Volkswagen Ranks Highest in a new Automotive Environmental Index. According to J.D.Power and Associates “2006 Alternative Powertrain Study,” Volkswagen of America is the industry’s most environmentally friendly automaker. Volkswagen placed three products on the list of low emission vehicles which included the Golf, Jetta and […]
RichC | September 10, 2006
Dan Ball brought both his Volkswagen TDI (above) and his brother’s TDI to the garage today — his brother’s had a power and ‘smoking problem.’ With my uncanny powers of observation, noticing he brought it on a trailer, I recognized that it was in need of some TLC. 😉 Thankfully the CinciTDI mechanical gurus had […]
RichC | September 9, 2006
After two weeks of delayse do to weather and technical problems, the shuttle Atlantis and mission STS-115 rocketed into space and to its mission to continue the buildout of the International Space Station. The launch was not without a few launch worries in regard to debris once again, but program manager Wayne Hale indicated that […]
RichC | September 9, 2006
The memories of Friday night High School football — not that I ever looked quite like these two. (or was I that goofy?) The week comes to an end and the Friday night game is still a big deal in my hometown(ship). Even with Lakota East having a 0-2 season two games into the year […]
RichC | September 8, 2006
Here is a great ‘diesel‘ article … read on at MSN Money. WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Modern, clean diesel engines will be a cornerstone of America’s energy solutions, and clean, renewable biodiesel fuel will be critical to the success of diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. market, a DaimlerChrysler executive says. [-more-]
RichC | September 8, 2006
Although there is a very tight window on Saturday due to “traffic” in space (that what they said!), space shuttle Atlantis, crew and ISS payload will attempt to get into space on Saturday, September 9th at 11:15 a.m. EDT. Today’s (Friday) launch attempt was delayed due to a fuel sensor system problem.
RichC | September 8, 2006
The shuttle Atlantis sits on the pad this morning is set for liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 11:41 a.m. EDT this morning BUT comments being made at 10AM indicate that they are having some problems with the fuel shutoff circuit – the ECO sensors. That is considered a launch stopping concern and could […]
RichC | September 8, 2006
Ford Motor Company continues to try and rebuild its reputation as a solvent American car company with the internet based “Bold Moves” campaign. The recent update after announcing Alan Mulally the new President and CEO is a video clip on their segment leading F-150 pickup truck. I’ve often believed that American pickup buyers would be […]
RichC | September 7, 2006
Everyone with a car, truck or SUV has noticed the drop in gasoline prices at the pump … but not all vehicle ‘fuels’ are seeing that same relief. (an 80 cent difference is about all a ‘diesel‘ owner can take!) Anyway, I did a little digging today in hopes an expert might be able lend […]
RichC | September 6, 2006
Its not Florence brewing somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean like a previous delay, but is a Fuel Cell problem. Space Shuttle Atlantis was scheduled to launch Wednesday afternoon with highly ambious mission to add two truss elements (see post) and significant upgrades to the International Space Station. The crew of STS-115 consists of Commander Brent […]
RichC | September 5, 2006
I don’t think there is anyway for me to update all the happenings in new alternative fuel announcements in Ohio, but an email popped into my box confirming a new 100 million dollar facility in northwestern Ohio by the Broin Companies. According to the press release, the Sioux Falls, South Dakota company will build a […]
RichC | September 5, 2006
Preliminary drilling tests have indicated that a deep-water Gulf of Mexico well could increase the oil and natural gas reserves in the US by 50% according to news Tuesday. The Jack 2 well by a Chevron, Devon Energy and Norway’s Statoil has been “very encouraging” commented Stephen Hadden, Senior Vice-President of exploration and production. According […]
RichC | September 5, 2006
Labor Day also marks another annual event — TDIFest. Most likely if you know what a TDIFest is this post will not be worth reading … you were either their or have been following the 2006 event online. For those of you still following, the TDIFest is the annual gathering of Volkswagen Turbo Direct Injected […]
RichC | September 4, 2006
Naturalist and noted Australian naturalist Steve Irwin, known to most as “TV’s khaki-clad Crocodile Hunter” was killed while filming a new documentary Monday. He was known to push the limits of how close to come to some of the world’s most deadly animals. Irwin’s unfortunate accident came while diving off a reef in northern Queensland, […]
RichC | September 3, 2006
If you’ve ever been around Cincinnati, Ohio on Labor Day weekend you most likely have seen (or at least heard of) the annual fireworks display. This year was the 30th year and the display was better than ever. It was 45 minutes of mind-boggling color, smoke and noise. In Cincinnati, you know what fireworks are […]
RichC | September 3, 2006
On August 30, 2006 the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM) held it annual White Coat Ceremony where several awards to teaching professionals and the induction of the 2010 graduating class was acknowledged. Margaret Nora, M.D., J.D., president and dean of NEOUCOM offered words of advice and congratulations to the 123 inductees to a […]
RichC | September 2, 2006
I stop in at Fairfield VW to pick up some power steering fluid for my daughter’s Jetta TDI and ran into sales manager Stu Williams. We talked for a few minutes about Volkswagen diesels, or lack thereof, and his disappointment in not having a 2007 model year TDI to sell. He indicated that they have […]
RichC | September 1, 2006
Ernesto made landfall last night at 11:30pm with a bit stronger winds than Florida. (see previous post) Wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph were common and the landfall pont was Long Beach North Carolina. According to reports, winds over 70 mph were recorded in some areas but for hurricane trackers, Ernesto came ashore as […]
RichC | September 1, 2006
Hopefully this weekend I’ll get part 2 of my vacation to Hawaii photos and comments posted. (click here to see Part 1) Nevertheless, here is a animated GIF series of photos of a sunrise on Maui atop the crater rim at Haleakala. The photo was taken early morning (duh!) at Haleakala Crater National Park as […]