RichC | November 14, 2008
The space shuttle Endeavor is schedule for an evening liftoff at 7:55 PM on Friday night if all goes on schedule. The STS-126 mission is to do some “Extreme Home Improvements” to the International Space Station. The seven member crew of commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Eric Boe, Mission Specialists Donald Pettit, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Steve Bowen, […]
RichC | November 14, 2008
I do enjoy seeing biodiesel and aviation come together and last week the BioJet flew 1776 miles of a 2496 mile flight from Reno, Nevada to Leesburg, Florida on a blend of soy and animal fat biodiesel. According to Scientific American, “the Aero L-29 jet kept the biodiesel from congealing at high altitude by continuously […]
RichC | November 13, 2008
Copyright infringement … its a big problem for content creators as the Internet continues to expand by email, blogs and forums — but how big is the problems? Attributor, a company that monitors the re-publication of content, indicates that unauthorized online copies of a content creators’ articles are nearly 1.5 times larger than the readership […]
RichC | November 12, 2008
Ok, so this post is sort of a tease to North American Volkswagen enthusiasts, but it is still interesting to see what “might” eventually make its way to our shores. In the following short video clip, the “self-park” or “park-assist” feature which was only available in the Lexis is also available in the VW Tiguan […]
RichC | November 11, 2008
While stuck on the phone for part of the weekend trying to revive an email server for a client, a friend who was helping me asked if I still subscribed to EFAX or JFAX in order to receive and send faxes from my computer. My answer was ‘no’ since it was hard to justify another […]
RichC | November 11, 2008
RichC | November 10, 2008
The New Oxford American Dictionary has a new official Word of the Year: hypermiling. “Hypermiling” or “to hypermile” is to attempt to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one’s car and one’s driving techniques. Rather than aiming for good mileage or even great mileage, hypermilers seek to push their gas tanks to the […]
RichC | November 10, 2008
There are times I feel sympathetic for the Palin family after seeing the treatment from the opposition, the media and by some of the McCain campaign operatives; much of it is unfair. On the other hand, when “glancing out of her living room window” (above) that just plane [pun intended] has me envious — life […]
RichC | November 10, 2008
General Motors (GM) opens at $3.60/share on Monday, and Ford (F) flirts with holding on to the $2/share price as both beg for a government bailout. There have been strong hints of bankruptcy in the GM camp, while one of the big electronics retailers Circuit City (CC) has decided to seek Chapter 11. Still technology […]
RichC | November 9, 2008
Although I’ve installed IE7, Firefox and Safari browsers on my Vista OS Notebook, I was curious to see just how Google Chrome would compare. It surely is a simple install and quickly handled a variety of initial websurfing tasks. I enjoyed the out of the box minialist look and feel and loved getting back some […]
RichC | November 8, 2008
Motorweek had some interesting information about automotive tires on the Goss’ Garage sections.
RichC | November 7, 2008
While driving home on Friday night its hard not to notice that gasoline prices continue to inch lower, but being a diesel advocate (biodiesel), its hard not to grimmice when noticing the $1.42 spread. Ouch.
RichC | November 7, 2008
The Auto Channel posted one of their video road trips with Norbert Krause the Director of Volkswagen’s Engineering and Environmental Office in California while taking a drive the 2009 VW Jetta TDI. Although the video has some pretty annoying music in the background, some of the information being shared will be of interest to those […]
RichC | November 7, 2008
The engineers at Volkswagen are working on a smaller version of their “UP!” which intends to be marketed against the Smart ForTwo mentioned in yesterday’s post — the single gas entry for 2009’s Greeen Car of the Year at the LA Auto Show. The new up will be the smallest VW model and will seat […]
RichC | November 6, 2008
With two of the five cars competing for the “2009 Green Car of the Year” award at this years Los Angeles Auto Show, things are getting pretty interesting. The three competing technologies nominated include two gasoline hybrid vehicles — the Saturn Vue two-mode hybrid and the Ford Fusion hybrid, two clean diesel models — the […]
RichC | November 5, 2008
I’m glad the election is over and in the routine of living life rather than worrying about something that I have very little control over — my vote is pretty small in relation to let’s say someone living in Wyoming (see “How Much Is Your Vote Worth“). Anyway, in traveling today I notice gas prices […]
RichC | November 4, 2008
According to FoxNews at 9:15 PM, they have announced that Ohio has gone to Obama with 9% of the vote counted. The projection is early, but after watching a significant number of other states fall, the election looks to be over. Unless something freaky happens, the next President of the United States is Barack Obama. […]
RichC | November 4, 2008
I found this interesting while I was scanning the cable news channels and eyeballing the exit polls. I knew FoxNews has a strong lineup of shows, but didn’t realize just how much they were leading the other cable affiliates — FNC was almost twice that of CNN and MSNBC during primetime. Tuesday, Nov 04 — […]
RichC | November 4, 2008
Halfway through election day, with record turnout across the U.S., it looks as if everything is moving Barack Obama’s way. From the Democrats early work in “get out the vote” efforts in registering first time voters, to mistakes made by the Bush administration in handling foreign policy, to the 6 years that the Republican controlled […]
RichC | November 4, 2008
Early voting problems are already being noticed in Ohio, at least in my precinct — or perhaps I’m just being hypersensitive? I haven’t cast my ballot yet (waiting for line to shorten), but my wife needed to arrive at the polls early this morning before work — 7:00 AM. She stood in line for a […]
RichC | November 3, 2008
One of the advantages to carrying a full featured PDA Smartphone (eg. Treo 700p) is that messages are sorted into threads. This makes receiving them a bit more welcoming, although I still respond like Pavlov’s dog to the beeps or vibrations. This ‘thread sorting feature’ is helpful when subscribing to information sites on the cell […]
RichC | November 2, 2008
While working in my garage this weekend, I foolishly let a metal rod swing down and hit me in my arm. Thankfully no bone was broken (from what I can tell), but the bruising did initially make me wonder. Ouch.
RichC | November 1, 2008
While driving across the state on Friday, several stations were selling gasoline below $2.00/gallon. It does feel a bit better to be filling and traveling paying $1.89/gallon than twice that much only a couple months ago. (average price was $4.07 for unleaded regular on June 23, 2008 – LINK) We have certainly seen what speculators […]
RichC | October 31, 2008
Yes … I run Vista on my notebook, and after a couple years I still think I should have opted to stay with XP or to have switched a Macbook Pro. Those in the same boat have probably recognized the above “blue screen of death” — although to be fair, its pretty much a thing […]
RichC | October 31, 2008
While traveling in the northern part of Ohio this week I snapped a photo of some leftover October snow. It seems a bit early to be seeing the white stuff in my part of the world, but significantly better than having to drive through it. Actually the weather was crisp and clear … clear enough […]
RichC | October 30, 2008
Although its going to be a while before this technology takes off, I suspect that the hydraulic hybrid will be one of the best options for heavier vehicles. The advantage of using a mechanical means of boosting a smaller engine when starting and accelerating offers significant advantages over battery and electric motors and could be […]
RichC | October 29, 2008
As with a number of U.S. financial disasters, October is recognized on Wall Street as a trying month. This year is no exception although the signals were pretty clear well before October. While taking a look the financial markets this Wednesday afternoon, the Federal Reserves did the expected in cutting the short-term interest rate by […]
RichC | October 29, 2008
There’s interesting news in the liquid crystal display (LCD) technology world coming out of Kent, Ohio (the city where LCD was founded). Cleveland station WKYC TV reported on a couple new products by a Kent Displays, a companly that is developing a new thinner “ePaper” and a LCD “skin” called “eGo.” The “eGo” technology can […]
RichC | October 28, 2008
If you love using a Mac (or Linux machine), but need that occasional windows program, today is your lucky day. Head over to the ‘minimized’ CodeWeavers site and download a copy of CrossOver the open source software that lets you run a Windows program without the need to purchase a Microsoft Windows OS license. It […]
RichC | October 28, 2008
According to Bloomberg.com, Volkswagen AG became the world’s biggest company by market value after Porsche SE announced plans to raise its stake in the German carmaker on Tuesday morning on an unusually short selling sitiuation. Volkswagen share price was up 55 percent on this information in Frankfurt trading. The Germany-based Volkswagen has risen more than […]
RichC | October 26, 2008
Although I didn’t fill up today, gasoline prices remain surprisingly low giving strapped consumers at least a little breathing room from the high fuel prices just a few weeks earlier. Let’s hope some of the added cash back in consumers wallets helps to stimulate the economy.
RichC | October 25, 2008
I’m not a big fan of Oprah Winfrey, especially after her endorsement of Barak Obama ;-), but I wouldn’t mind having a Kindle in order to pack a few books along with me when traveling. Amazon.com is offering $50 off of the Kindle’s $359 price tag by simply entering the code OPRAHWINFREY at checkout through […]
RichC | October 24, 2008
Wall Street continues to frighten investors, although today could have been even worse considering the 10% drop in Japan’s markets on Friday and the continued fear that we are heading into a worldwide depression. No longer are we tossing the word “recession” around, but now I’m regularly hearing “depression.” Perhaps this is a sign that […]
RichC | October 24, 2008
Several of my “left leaning” friends continue to tell me that there is no such thing as “media bias” when it comes to politics. I seem to run into a brick wall when attempting to point it out that the vast majority of the mainstream media tends to report against conservative positions and toward those […]
RichC | October 22, 2008
Although my wallet has appreciated the significantly lower gasoline prices, the price difference between diesel and gas is being noticed. After my last few fill-ups of my “gasoline” Honda Pilot, I have been breathing a sigh of relieve since they have been $2.35, $2.37 and $2.39, at least in the Cincinnati Ohio area. (although I […]
RichC | October 21, 2008
Australians always seem to do things a bit different, especially when it comes to surf fishing — here’s a video showing them paddling the bait out to Great White Sharks on a surf board in Boat Harbour. Although I enjoy swimming and don’t usually hesitate to paddle around on a surf board, I’m not sure […]
RichC | October 20, 2008
Although I’m a big fan of the new ‘clean diesels’ being produced by several companies, I’ve never like the idea that in order to meet emission standards that ‘some’ diesels require an AdBlue urea system. Basically the $4/gallon liquid is stored in a small tank and is slowly injected into the exhaust stream where it […]
RichC | October 19, 2008
It’s been a very nice sunny weekend here in Southwestern Ohio and the cool temperatures is making it nice to work outside. I’ve been cutting up a few trees while my wife ‘shamefully’ burning is adding to the global warming trend. 🙄 The enjoyable muscle aches and pains remind me of the years starting out […]
RichC | October 17, 2008
Although the polls and news are not positive for McCain/Palin in many parts of the country, in the area north of Cincinnati Ohio, they are a very popular pair. So when Gov. Sarah Palin stopped in West Chester Ohio across from the local Lakota West High School, she had a great crowd — about 15,000. […]
RichC | October 17, 2008
Shocking … but then I suspect Glenn is a better fit at Fox than at CNN? 😆 Info from MediaBistro blog: It’s official. Glenn Beck is bringing his TV program to Fox News Channel in the Spring of 2009. The program currently airs at 7pmET and 9pmET on Headline News and will occupy the 5pmET […]
RichC | October 16, 2008
For those of you familiar with the book “Born on a Blue Day” by Daniel Tammet, you’ll enjoy his blog post on John McCain’s age. As a ‘numbers guy,’ he takes a look at both actuarial tables of a 72 year old man in the U.S., the McCain family history and lifespan of past U.S. […]
RichC | October 15, 2008
Long term investors and all who are saving for college or retirement through stocks or mutual funds are suffering yet again as the financial markets continue to slide. After a huge move up Monday, the trading on Wall Street headed down again, this time on gloomy economic warning from the U.S. Federal Reserve. After a […]
RichC | October 15, 2008
I monitor the RSS feed for Meghan McCain’s blog (McCainBlogette.com) and have been looking forward to reviewing her new children’s book about her father since it was published a few weeks ago. Although I haven’t picked the book up yet, I have read a few reviews on it. Below I’ll include an interview Meghan had […]
RichC | October 14, 2008
I wonder just how many lawsuits we’ll see popping up around the nation in the coming month? ACORN sued on behalf of Warren County voters “The right to cast a vote that is not diluted by fraudulent votes is a fundamental individual right,” Buckeye Institute President David Hansen said. “ACORN appears to be recklessly disregarding […]
RichC | October 13, 2008
The traders on Wall Street had a busy day today as they put a few dollars back to work after the huge selling last week. The record day was the biggest single day more for the stock market in history, or at least since the Great Depression. The Dow Jones Industrials (3 day chart above) […]
RichC | October 12, 2008
It’s nice to have the kids home from college this weekend for my son to be able to return to his high school for the homecoming game and dance with is girlfriend (a high school senior). They had a great time at the dance and Lakota East even won their Friday night game. (it has […]
RichC | October 11, 2008
As the political campaigns near November, we’re starting to see more from each campaign attempting to discredit the other. Political action committees and independents from Hollywood to news organization are getting in the act to take swipes at either McCain, Palin, Obama or Biden. It is particularly noticeable with the Gov. Palin “troopergate” investigations (smears) […]
RichC | October 10, 2008
After reflecting on the doom and gloom of our economy and state of most investors, I thought I would go back a few days to a nice autumn weekend in western New York. We enjoyed pleasant weather and time with my mother and father-in-law at Letchworth State Park. If you’re looking for a great weekend […]
RichC | October 9, 2008
Dow 8,579.19 -678.91 (-7.33%) | Nasdaq 1,645.12 -95.21 (-5.47%) | S&P 500 909.92 -75.02 (-7.62%) No buyers on Wall Street — the collapse continues to drive stock prices lower and cut even deeper into ordinary Joe and Jane’s retirement and college savings. Not only has today’s drop put the DJIA to extremely low levels, it […]
RichC | October 9, 2008
The National Debt Clock in New York City has run out of numbers and as a temporary fix has replaced the “dollar sign” with a digit to move past the $9 trillion and to $10 trillion. The sign was put up years ago by a real estate developer when the U.S. national debt was approaching […]
RichC | October 8, 2008
In an attempt to get money/credit flowing around the world, six central banks in coordination moved to cut interest rates on Wednesday. The goal is to offset a global economic slowdown that has been rippling through the financial and business world. This half-point rate cut included the central banks in the U.K., Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, […]
RichC | October 7, 2008
I headed home to check on the arrival of the shingles for the south side of my roof in order to repair the damage left by Hurricane Ike … yes I’m in Ohio. 😀
RichC | October 7, 2008
As the economy struggles, Obama and Biden gain as the McCain/Palin campaign take the bruising. There seems to be a backlash against the GOP for the mess we are in? Perhaps its the Wall Street “fatcat” image or just the fact that a Republican has been in the Whitehouse for 8 years. Nevertheless, most polls […]
RichC | October 6, 2008
The financial crisis is rippling around the world and that fear is being reflected on Wall Street as the DJIA dropped a full 800 points during trading on Monday, although recovered somewhat to close off only 370 points at 9955.50. Almost all stocks took a beating again today shrinking all who invest for college or […]
RichC | October 6, 2008
Hopefully all the old posts and comments have been updated to this new 2.6.2 install of WordPress. It was not an easy task, but finally this update should correct many long standing problems associated with the old installation. Categories and tagging have been changed considerably and will require a significant database rebuild; this is something […]
RichC | October 1, 2008
Plastic Logic‘s touchscreen document and book reader
RichC | September 30, 2008
Life needs a little perspective. I’m spending far too much time concerned over things I have little control over — the economic mess. What I can do, is get motivated to work on my Sonex project and this video of USAF test pilot Roger Tanner and Sonex founder John Monnett might be just what I […]
RichC | September 29, 2008
It was a rough day on Wall Street, but nothing like it will be if they aren’t able to pass a bill to keep money flowing in the U.S. When paychecks are no long being cashed and layoffs start occurring in full force, their will be blood. For most, the losses are currently just on […]
RichC | September 29, 2008
Money lending … this wouldn’t be the first time society gets carried away with borrowing more than realistically we can pay back under the terms of a contract — what started it and is there a solution? Was it the Fannie and Freddie backed loans to those without the incomes to borrow during the 1990s? […]
RichC | September 29, 2008
Like many investors, I’ve been watching the reaction to the bank melting down on Wall Street. All who are invested in America (and rippling overseas) are going to be impacted in real estate value, stock value, bond security and the ability of our government to remain sound. This devaluation will no doubt slow our economy […]