Spy photos hint at VW Taro Pickup Truck

| January 31, 2008

Several Volkswagen fans have asked what I know about the VW Taro pickup truck that is suppose to be in Europe next year — I don’t know much, but did see a post in LeftLaneNews yesterday. From what they are saying, there are two possibilities: 1) the VW Taro will be a rebadged Toyota Hilux […]

McCain edges Romney in Florida primary

| January 30, 2008

Senator John McCain of Arizona edged out Gov. Mitt Romney to win Florida’s Republican primary Tuesday night, moving one step closer to the all important 24-state Super Tuesday contest on February 5th. The must win Florida campaign of Rudy Giuliani was well behind in third (followed by Huckabee), triggering the end of the Giuliani campaign. […]

The State of the Union – President Bush 2008

| January 29, 2008

While I’m trying to repair my blog site, I’ll take a moment to include the final State of the Union address from President George W. Bush … personally I think it was one of his best speeches. VIDEO DELETED

Technical problems … restart test post

| January 28, 2008

Once again I’m having technical problems with my blog and have lost the last couple posts to server/host issues. Stay tuned …

Winter is here – a little more global warming please

| January 25, 2008

While I was out feeding the dog before sunrise and creaking over the light snow on the sidewalk, I thought “it feels really cold today?” Brrr … it is! Thankfully the sun is out and should warm things up a little bit. Maybe this is a good time to point out that during the 1970s […]

Yummy … an Exhaust Burger

| January 25, 2008

How about an Exhaust Burger? I’ve cooked a meal under the hood before, but never heard of cooking with a grilling device like this using exhaust gas! Well the exhaust gas never hits the meat, but its probably hot enough to barbecue a hamburger — I wonder if I could fix a meal for two […]

Virgin Galactic final design for space travel

| January 24, 2008

SpaceShipOne (see post for photos) provided the X-Prize momentum that will give the adventurous, and wealthy, traveler an opportunity to fly into space … at least that’s Sir Richard Branson’s plan. The final design launch vehicle, White Knight Two was announced yesterday in New York and will be built by Scaled Composites in California under […]

Apple’s forecast ‘spooks’ stock investors

| January 23, 2008

Apple Inc. reported that their holiday quarter was strong showing profits were up 57% during the three months that ended December 29th. Unfortunately investors who are concerned that the slowing economy will ding Apple in 2008. Forecasts from Apple, which are usually conservative, were for a 94 cents per share this second fiscal quarter, far […]

Subaru to have diesel in the UK this February

| January 23, 2008

The diesel news from Subaru continues to trickle out of the auto shows this month after announcing they were developing a diesel boxer engine last year. (post) The first models to go on sale will be the Outback and the Legacy Sports Tourer in the UK in February 2008, with a much slower planned launch […]

The U.S. Economy: FED moves – Markets react

| January 22, 2008

Don’t look at your 401-K or IRAs if you are squeamish. Will this be an opportunity long term or a big time recession? U.S. Financial Markets Numbers 1/22/2008 9:35 AM After overseas markets headed down on worries about a U.S. recession, the FED makes an emergency cut this morning which hasn’t helped the panic (and […]

More on Honda and Acura clean diesels

| January 22, 2008

Many diesel advocates are anxiously waiting to see just what new clean diesels will be arriving in the U.S. over the next few years. Hardly a week goes by now without some new announcement. For many of us, the Honda Accord 2.2L i-DTEC stands out in the hopes it will be an affordable and dependable […]

UDF Mug … going, going _____

| January 21, 2008

As Alan Greenspan would say … “irrational exuberance!“ 🙂 Ebay link. EDIT 1/21 9:30 PM: The mug has been sold ($1025.00) thanks to some outrageously generous bidders (congratulations ‘dorky54‘). They must have realized that this is a highly prized collectible … or at least appreciate the work of RHM. Thanks to all who placed a […]

Creative web app: A virtual fishbowl/box

| January 21, 2008

A bit of Google code from cute web application below the break. Pretend the box below is a fishbowl/box and use your mouse to ‘click/drop’ a bit of food. Watch the fish swim toward your mouse expecting a treat. Credit Adam Bowman | Abowman.com

Enjoying my last days with “The Mug”

| January 20, 2008

Time is running out if you want to rescue “the Mug” since there are only a couple days left to place your bid on EBay. (donations to benefit RHM) Who will “win” the rights to my pouting sister-in-law’s favorite UDF coffee mug? This well seasoned UDF Mug has kept my coffee warm for couple months […]

What did Steve Jobs say in 60 seconds?

| January 19, 2008

Although I tried to summarize it here, the short video clip posted at Mahalo Daily with Veronica Belmont is pretty good.

Forbes highlights new diesels coming to the U.S.

| January 19, 2008

I’m ready … well I’ve been ready … to see a few more diesels heading to our shores. Sadly, I’m not seeing many efficient high MPG clean diesel models coming from U.S. manufacturers. Come on Ford and GM! A recent Forbes article highlighted a few of the new models that will be showing up in […]

Spotted VW Touareg V10 TDI in NE Ohio

| January 18, 2008

I’m posting from my cellphone since I rarely see a Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI diesel. This one was spotted in Cuyahoga Falls in northeastern Ohio. (just north of Akron) There aren’t many of these around and those that are do tend to blend into their surroundings.

Panasonic AA battery is the longest lasting

| January 17, 2008

An MSNBC technology article reported that the new Panasonic “Evolta” Double-A (AA) battery is the longest lasting household alkaline battery — according to Guinness World Records. The double-A sized battery is used in many household items from gadgets and toys to clocks and tools. The article states that the improvements are made by packing in […]

Is a 110mpg diesel/electric Jeep in your future?

| January 16, 2008

Although the 110mpg (est) Jeep® Renegade sounds appealing as fuel cost inches toward $4.00/gallon, this concept vehicle in its present form is highly unlikely — but its good to see the concept. The diesel/electric hybrid has been chatted about in my circles for quite some time now, and is at least taking some form at […]

Steve Jobs of Apple makes annual announcements

| January 15, 2008

It is the highly anticipated MacWorld 2008 keynote speech from Steve Jobs that draws thousands of loyal Apple fans to attend or tune in every year. This year was no exception and included me … by web video. I’ll briefly outline the theme and products: First, the high end ‘big’ Macintosh had the early announcement […]

“The Mug” is being auctioned off on EBay

| January 14, 2008

“The Mug” — EBay find of the day! (consider bidding for charity) Since only a couple of my family members regularly make it to my blog, I’ll clue the rest of you in on a ‘feud’ that has been going on for long enough. My ‘dear’ sister-in-law (let’s call her “Chris”), left her favorite United […]

Airplane crash kills 4, including my friend John

| January 13, 2008

It has a been a challenging weekend as I’ve just heard that a good friend John McCarter, his wife, and two friends lost their lives in an airplane accident probably on their way to lunch near Lake Erie. (something he would regularly do) In talking with John over the past few weeks, he was excited […]

Dead Grandmother/Exam Syndrome

| January 12, 2008

A friend of mine who knows I have a daughter in college and a son on the way, sent me an email with an interesting “Dead Grandmother/Exam Syndrome and the Potential Downfall Of American Society” study by Mike Adams. The original was from some years ago, but is probably still accurate and an enjoyable read. […]

Wide spread in fuel prices throughout Ohio

| January 11, 2008

While traveling from southwest to northeast Ohio and back this week, I was able to fill up in Sunbury, Ohio where gasoline was 20+cents lower than most other areas on both Wednesday and Thursday. (OhioGasPrices.com) Most stations along I-71, I-76 and the Ohio Turnpike were a few cents over $3.00/gallon, but the Pilot and Flying […]

Firefox & NoScript: Cross Site Scripting protection

| January 10, 2008

The more I learn about the customizable power of Mozilla’s Firefox extensions, the more I wonder how I safely navigated the web in the past; perhaps there are just more annoying and dangerous scripts then there have ever been? Here’s a favorite extension known as NoScript by Giorgio Maone which has been around for a […]

A big Tuesday for Clinton and McCain in NH

| January 9, 2008

The primary turnout in New Hampshire was extremely high and big numbers helped Senator Hillary Clinton for the Democrats and Senator John McCain for the Republicans. Mitt Romney who came in second in Iowa behind Mike Huckabee also came in second in New Hampshire. Largely unnoticed for a second state in a row was the […]

LSU beats OSU in BCS Championship game

| January 8, 2008

As halftime winds down, the Ohio State Buckeyes return to the field after an outstanding performance by the OSU Marching Band in the BCS National Championship game in New Orleans. I’m struggling to gain a bit of confidence back after LSU scored 24 unanswered points to lead 24 to 10. The LSU Tigers take the […]

Is it January or July?

| January 7, 2008

Although southwestern Ohio isn’t the only area of the country feeling the heat … I can’t let today pass without mentioning that its tee-shirt weather! Wow … its hard to believe that it is January.

Multitouch “Media Wall” display technology

| January 7, 2008

While discussing what the future holds in technology over the holidays with my family, I mentioned the “media wall” technology that I saw demonstrated last year. There were a few skeptics thinking that working on a wall display wasn’t really sensible. Although at the time I could remember the name of ‘Jeff Han,’ I tried […]

Young men, explosives and Internet video

| January 6, 2008

I’m reluctant to post on a subject touching close to home and too soon after the loss of life, but in hopes someone reads this and takes note I’ll included it. First my condolences go out to the Ferraro family and those who are friends … Daniel Ferraro’s death is indeed very sad. Last week […]

Tool Tip: Extracting a damaged screw

| January 5, 2008

A friend of mine asked me for some help in repairing a piece of furniture with a couple of damaged fasteners (Phillips headed wood screws). In talking with him about using a ‘screw/bolt extractor,’ or ‘cutting’ a new slot in the screws (above), I realized this might not be something everyone knows about? Hmm … […]

The U.S. Economy — Recession trending

| January 4, 2008

Recently I’ve been paying a bit more attention to the health of our U.S. economy and the trend is raises concern. In my opinion, the continued higher energy and commodity costs are taking a toll on our country and the ability to fend off a recession. While increases in productivity continue to help our nation […]

BMW diesels at upcoming auto show

| January 3, 2008

According the the LeftLaneNews, BMW will show the new xDrive 35d SUV and 335d sedan this month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The vehicles will showcase the new clean diesels with BMW’s “BluePerformance” 3.0 liter six-cylinder performance diesel engines. The 265 HP / 425 lb-ft of torque engines should be available […]

Bottom fishing the Drugstore sector …

| January 3, 2008

Is it a good time to go contrary in the drugstore stock sector? Thursday financial news has release some poor performance numbers in the nations’ largest drug store chains and traders/investors are exiting positions CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid. US Retail Stocks Flat; Drug Stores Under Pressure By Andria Cheng Last update: 1/3/2008 10:49:38 AM […]

Oil Futures hit high of $100 a barrel

| January 2, 2008

After violence breaks out in Nigeria, the price of light, sweet crude futures for January delivery rose $4.02 to $100 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The prices continue to rise due to the expanding economies of China and India according to analysts. Tensions around the world continue to create unrest for traders […]

Clive Cussler’s new book: The Chase

| January 1, 2008

I’ve been a fan of Clive Cussler and his novels for years and received his new book “The Chase” as a Christmas gift from a friend. Although this current novel differs from the norm (ie. Dirk Pitt or Kurt Austin NUMA storylines), the story of a steam locomotive recovery from the days of the old […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog