RichC | October 31, 2007
I ran across a few interesting math calculations, in of all places, a surfing and sailing photo blog that I enjoy called the Horse’s Mouth. Joe Rouse includes excellent photos of sailing, surfing, fishing and all things ‘seaworthy.’ (and some that are just ‘nice’ to look at) 😉 It was interesting enough at the moment […]
RichC | October 30, 2007
As Apple’s new Leopard OS leaps to 2 million copies sold in a week (link), the fine folks at Microsoft are spoofed by BlimpTV in a “made for BlipTV” ad promoting (or demoting) Vista. Very funny … with a few off color descriptive words. “It’s crashing, and it won’t boot up!” Hilarious!
RichC | October 30, 2007
(New Palm Centro smartphone photo test – click photo for larger) The weather is starting to turn a bit nippy and our back porch project is still without an outdoor fireplace, not that you’ll catch me sitting out there at 32 degrees. (temperature this morning) According to the the builders, waiting on the stone masons […]
RichC | October 29, 2007
There isn’t much doubt that the best team in baseball this year resides in Boston. Last night the Red Sox won game four of the World Series (4-3) and defeated the national league’s best, the Cinderella-like Colorado Rockies. Although the Rockies won 20 of their last 21 games to get to the World Series early, […]
RichC | October 28, 2007
The Volkswagen Touareg has been impressive ever since its introduction back in 2003. It is a technology oriented 4×4 SUV that has developed an impressive pedigree over the last 4 years with races in Dakar, Baja, Pikes Peak and the unmanned DARPA competition. (race version of the Touareg2 to the right) The Touareg isn’t just […]
RichC | October 27, 2007
Let me state that I’m not a big fan of Hans Blix, or even most of the PBS ‘political’ oriented news programs, but I do occasionally check on shows not available on a regularly watched right leaning news station. That said, Charlie Rose had a 25 minute interview with the previous head United Nations International […]
RichC | October 26, 2007
I still think I could be talked into this electric car with an EPA rated range of 245 miles that can do 0-60 in 4 seconds, look as good as a Ferrari and be recharged in 3-1/2 hours.It offers electric vehicles good hope for the future … too bad the Tesla is going to cost […]
RichC | October 25, 2007
Biodiesel Magazine reported the successful results from flight testing by Green Flight International and Biodiesel Solutions this week in Reno, Nevada. The Czechoslovakian L-29 aircraft blended a mixture with Jet-A at the beginning of the flight and slowly increased the blend until it reached B100 (100% biodiesel). The jet powered aircraft reached 17,000 feet and […]
RichC | October 24, 2007
Garmin software (my current preferred GPS product outside of the Treo) will soon be available for the Palm GPS. Will the TomTom continue to be offered? The software from Garmin will be the Mobile XT product and offer turn by turn directions, with voice as well as the Garmin online service which includes traffic, fuel […]
RichC | October 23, 2007
I can’t think of a bigger topic that excites the small car diesel crowd (VW) than have a new Honda diesel, especially one with great mileage and a little zip. Honda’s head powertrain engineer, Kenichi Nagahiro revealed to AutoCar (according to LeftLaneNews) that a diesel-powered Civic Type-R will improve on the current 140 horsepower version […]
RichC | October 22, 2007
The parents of Lt. Michael Murphy received the highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, two year after the death of their son from President Bush on Monday. His sacrifice for his team and nation are second to none and well deserve the highest recognition. I’ve written previously about the Navy SEAL team chronicled in […]
RichC | October 21, 2007
You would think after 25 years of marriage that I would learn that women are rarely impressed with ‘tech gadgets’ for Sweetest Day gifts? Perhaps I’m a slow learner in replacing my wife’s old Palm Treo 600 with a new Palm Centro, but I did … to a mixed response. She was glad for a […]
RichC | October 19, 2007
I’m a long time Apple Macintosh computer user and am currently running the Tiger OS 10.4.10 on my desktop, although am running Microsoft Vista on my notebook. It is interesting to see what the creative folks at Apple are bring to the table next … no doubt it will continue to be a blend of […]
RichC | October 18, 2007
According to Leftlane news, Audi will bring a 3.0L TDI clean diesel to the U.S. market in 2008. The first vehicle will be the Q7 and then the all new A4. No time frame was announced, just 2008. Output for the 3.0L TDI V6 is rated at 240 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. Despite […]
RichC | October 17, 2007
Fellow Sonex Aircraft builder Don Gum flew his AeroVee powered Waiex (V-Tail version of the original Sonex) successfully on October 14th. I would like to extend my congratulations to Don who lives north of me in Beavercreek, Ohio. Making a successful first flight in his beautiful tri-gear experimental airplane is indeed a grand accomplishment … […]
RichC | October 16, 2007
Subaru was ahead of the game featuring all-wheel drivetrain which offered safe, practical and reliable cars which had performance all in a small sized passenger vehicle. Their boxer engine design has proven durable and the utilitarian Forester and Outback came out well before other manufacturers decided to produce ‘car based’ cross-over SUVs. Unfortunately they have […]
RichC | October 16, 2007
As the 2007 baseball season inches toward a close, the Cleveland Indians move one step closer to becoming the American League champions by topping the Boston Red Sox 4 run to 2 in game 3. This was the first game against the Red Sox at Jacobs Field for the Cleveland fans which no doubt gave […]
RichC | October 15, 2007
Although my experimental airplane project is still moving slow, most of the parts are now ready to be put together this winter. The assembly process requires me to fit an engine mount to the fuselage, therefore I need to select a powerplant for that to happen. I had thought the U.S. dollar would strengthen against […]
RichC | October 14, 2007
If you are married and enjoy a little ill-placed humor, you’ll enjoy this Toyota RAV 4 commercial below. If you don’t laugh at it … I’m sure you’ll at least smile? Actually I don’t know how long it has been out although I noticed it was posted to YouTube in 2006, but I never noticed […]
RichC | October 13, 2007
My EAA chapter (www.eaa284.org) met at Grimes Field in Urbana, Ohio today (AirNav) to see a vintage World War II Boeing B-17 G restoration project, or should I say ‘creation’ project. (many if not most parts are being manufactured onsite or locally) The project is sponsored by the Tech II Inc company and the many […]
RichC | October 13, 2007
In nail-biter fashion, #17 ranked Kentucky beat #1 ranked LSU on Saturday in some of the most intense college football I’ve seen in a long time. The game went into triple overtime and ended with each player giving their all and then some. It was quite the intense game. Since I regularly comment about using […]
RichC | October 12, 2007
The framing crew has been moving along quickly as the back porch project starts to take shape. Like most building projects, framing is an exciting part as one get a feel for the size and feel of the space. I’m looking forward to getting the stone in place and the artist/stone layer working on the […]
RichC | October 11, 2007
I wanted to write a bit more this week while I was out of town, but instead will just include a photo that I thought was interesting. I saw a BMW motorcycle on a trailer with a message on the pick up truck window insinuating either buyer’s remorse, suffering a breakdown, or frustration with getting […]
RichC | October 11, 2007
Although I personally would be hard pressed to give up the large battery capacity (2400mAh) of my aging Palm Treo 700p, the new Centro being introduced by Sprint this month is looking pretty attractive. The new smart phone is considerably smaller than my 700p and the current antenna-less full featured 755p version (on the right […]
RichC | October 10, 2007
I’ve mentioned the HGTV program Living With Ed a couple of times before (2006 & 2007 links) and enjoy the humorous way the host Ed Begley and his wife Rachelle discuss ‘greening’ our homes. From the simple process in replacement of incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs to adding off the grid solar power, […]
RichC | October 9, 2007
Cessna, the best selling and most flown airplane in the world will be offering a Thielert turbo diesel engine option in it Skyhawk 172S airplane in mid- 2008. The Thielert Centurion 2.0 liter turbocharged 185 horsepower in-line 4 cylinder diesel will be certified to operate on Jet-A fuel and offer the efficiency and long term […]
RichC | October 8, 2007
Since my son and I had the privilege of visiting and learning about cars from a fellow who owns several Porsche 911s this past weekend, I thought I would include a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup Car YouTube video clip in today’s post … its wickedly fast! For us, besides just admiring the collection, we had […]
RichC | October 7, 2007
We rented a DVD movie called the “The Lookout” with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jeff Daniels which was set in a small northern farm town. The main character was a high school hockey star named Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and he foolishly drives his convertible with friends down the highway with the headlights off … and […]
RichC | October 6, 2007
I didn’t get a chance to post a comment, but my son has a great group of high school friends. A bunch of them got together for photos on Saturday before they senior year Homecoming dance. Have such great kids sure makes being parents of teens less stressful; we are very fortunate. Thinking back, I […]
RichC | October 5, 2007
We had a great time tonight watching both an excellent high school football game and see my son’s close friend Katie crowned homecoming queen. Congratulations Katie! (and Anthony) My wife and I enjoyed the game with friends on a warm October evening. Our Lakota East Thunderhawks scored in only two plays after a strong initial […]
RichC | October 4, 2007
I took a quick photo out my sunroof as I followed the blimp “Spirit of Goodyear” and its support bus and semi on my drive up to northeastern Ohio this week. We paralleled each other heading north on I-71 and I eventually passed the icon airship on I-76 heading into Akron Ohio. The current Ohio […]
RichC | October 3, 2007
For those in the U.S. waiting for debatably the best handling diesel to arrive, BMW has recently announced that it will bring its 3.0L twin-turbo diesel engine to the U.S, but did not offer a time frame. (reports have suggested that it could come in late 2008?) This impressive twin-turbo engine is currently available in […]
RichC | October 3, 2007
An Airbus A380 made a low pass over northern Cincinnati suburbs making a promotional fly over the General Electric Aviation plant in Evendale this morning. The double decker plane which surpassed the Boeing 747 landed at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The A380 is the world’s largest passenger plane carrying 520 with a wingspan of a […]
RichC | October 3, 2007
It has been a rare vehicle that has charmed me the way my 2003 Volkswagen Jetta TDI has … but all good things eventually come to an end; today I sold my car. I’ve spent the last year trying to solve a sore leg/hip problem that has been aggravated by my regular four hour trips […]
RichC | October 2, 2007
I was discussing cellphones the other day while discussing the new full featured iPhone, Blackberries and Treo lineup and recalled my older Samsung SPH-i500 flip phone. Hmm … it was the one device that I wish would have seen continued development and adoption in the U.S. (the similar SCH-i539 is said to be sold in […]
RichC | October 1, 2007
The stock market had a solid day of gains today with the Dow Jones Industrials up 190+ points and setting a new record, but not all segments were stellar. Hardest hit were the drugstore chains as that segment suffered heavy selling pressure. Three of the leading companies that I track and trade were down significantly […]