Windows 7 upgrade was almost as painful as USA hockey loss

| February 28, 2010

I spent the afternoon and most of the evening struggling with upgrading to Windows 7, in between watching the USA lose 3-2 to Canada in OT in Olympic hockey. It wasn’t easy to switch from Windows 7 RC to Profession on a couple of computers, which by the way have been running flawlessly on both […]

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile and tsunami warning

| February 27, 2010

After tuning into the news early on Saturday following the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake which struck the coast of Chile, I checked back in this afternoon after 4PM as Hawaii waited to feel the effects from the earthquake after a tsunami warning. The large earthquake has taken the lives of over 800 people (edit: 3/4) and […]

Test 1 min video from Palm Pre

| February 27, 2010

Download now or watch on posterous CIMG0362.mp4 (7005 KB) Posting to Posterous from Palm Pre by email updated to webOS 1.4. (raw clip) Posted via email from richc’s posterous

Palm webOS update went smoothly today

| February 27, 2010

The Palm webOS 1.4 update finally arrived and we’re still in February. It has been an anticipated update that includes new video and camcorder like features. While waiting for the substantial download and nearly 30 minute upgrade process, I ended up fiddling with a new piping or cording foot that arrived for my wife’s sewing […]

Volkswagen to push “Think Blue” to the automotive forefront

| February 27, 2010

Starting February 27th, Volkswagen will be implementing a "Think Blue" marketing campaign stressing the company’s focus on "sustainable mobility" which to CinciTDI and TDIClub members highlights the fuel efficiency of VW TDI diesel vehicles and the environmental awareness of new "clean diesel" TDIs and biodiesel fuel options. Volkswagen is building on the "BlueMotion" label and […]

Archiving: Nicknames, the Fearsome Foursome and the Fiberpile

| February 27, 2010

The older I get, the less embarrassed I seem to be about publicly posting an old photo or two … or even sharing juvenile nicknames. So for posterity, figured I would archive a couple items … and leave the door open to teasing from my kids. Moi, Charlie (Kamakaze), Rob (Oxford) and Greg (Wheels) in […]

President’s Health Care Summit at the Blair House

| February 26, 2010

I tuned the XMRadio into bits and pieces of President Obama’s 7 hour Health Care Summit with congressional leaders at the Blair House yesterday and came away tired of hearing the same thing I’ve heard all year. It was carried live on CSPAN and picked up in whole or part by many of the cable […]

Checking PALM stock health awaiting for 1.4 webOS update

| February 25, 2010

While waiting for the expected Palm webOS 1.4 anticipated update, I’ve been thankful not to have invested in PALM stock after last years new products. As more and more competitors jump into the smartphone market and take the limelight off the Pre and Pixi phones, the concern is over the profitability (and survival) of the […]

An Orca kills a SeaWorld trainer during a perfomance

| February 24, 2010

I’m sad to hear when a killer whale attacks a human, be they trained for “edu-tainment” or dominating the ocean in the wild. I am bias in being pro-SeaWorld because of all the good they do to educate about the oceans and wildlife, but being part of the company in the early 1980’s, I also […]

Look for Palm webOS 1.4 on February 25th

| February 24, 2010

Palm Pre and Pixi users have known about and seen many of the new feature in webOS 1.4 demos (flash, video recording) for some time; most of us have been waiting patiently for the announced February 2010 rollout. According to most blogs and newsy Internet sites, the webOS devices on both Sprint and Verizon networks […]

Nearly One in Four Borrowers Underwater on Mortgage

| February 23, 2010

Looks like a serious problem for homeowners, mortgage companies and banks alike. It certainly isn’t promising for the new home market either. Nearly one in four U.S. homeowners with a mortgage owed more than their homes were worth at the end of 2009, underscoring the challenges facing any sustained recovery in consumer spending and housing. […]

Second push for near trillion dollar Health Care proposal

| February 23, 2010

After American citizens were heard ‘loud and clear’ during the Obama administration’s attempt last year to ram though health care reform, the President and a ‘agenda-driven’ liberal congress are planning to give it another go. In a feeble attempt  to cloak the “retooled $950 billion health care plan” and continual expansion of government as “bi-partisan,” […]

How upset with the bank and the IRS does one have to be?

| February 23, 2010

I don’t pretend to understand how a man concludes that crashing an airplane into an IRS building is justified, but I know that stress can push reasonably sane people into saying and doing some pretty radical things. I get pretty worked up over government waste and irresponsible spending, but can’t imagine striking back at innocent […]

Consumers beware: Plastic Money regulations will impact you

| February 22, 2010

If you are like me, you like having a regular routine to start the day; for me it’s the newspaper, the Gordon Deal podcast, a large cup of coffee and review of my email inbox, although I won’t encourage the large cup of coffee. Today, one of the lead stories in the news pertains to […]

Digitally reminiscing with Google Maps and Streetview

| February 21, 2010

After reading an article by Kathleen Hughes in this weekend’s WSJ, I just couldn’t help myself in reminiscing about where I grew up … they were wonderful memories for me – I couldn’t have asked for a better childhood. Nevertheless, noting the comment about digitally visiting home, I “re-experienced” memories from my childhood taking the […]

Snow beautified picturesque Glendale Cemetery in Akron Ohio

| February 20, 2010

While traveling to NE Ohio this week, and waiting to meet with my daughter for lunch in Akron Ohio, I drove through the gates of snow crusted Glendale Cemetery founded as Akron Rural Cemetery in 1839.  While steering through the snow-covered drives in serene park-like setting, I took the opportunity to capture the snow surrounding […]

CinciTDI Volkswagen diesel GTG tomorrow in Cincinnati

| February 19, 2010

Slipped my mind, but wanted to make a note on my blog to be sure all Cincinnati area VW TDI people knew about the CinciTDI.com / TDIClub.com GTG tomorrow — 8am February 20th. Feb 20th GTG @Dubwerx Its official, Dubwerx is hosting our GTG on Feb 20th, at 8:00 to whenever we get kicked out.Dubwerks […]

Adding some “light” reading to my weekend: Windows 7 Secrets

| February 19, 2010

I’ve added  a little light reading to my weekend plans from Paul Thurrot and Rafael Rivera’s book, Windows 7 Secrets … it’s only 1080 pages. I’m hoping the book will help enhance an already satisfied Windows 7 user by teaching me a few tricks in using Microsoft’s newest OS. As regular readers know, I’ve been […]

Cleaning out my closet, although I should do it again

| February 19, 2010

In a belated personal post, after reviewing a few photos from earlier in the week on my Palm Pre, I’m archiving a post of what was part of my Valentine’s Day gift to my wife. She has been threatening reminding me for the better part of a year to clean out my half of the […]

Bad timing: Lakota Schools are asking too much from voters

| February 18, 2010

It looks like the Lakota Board of Education has decided to place a new levy on May 4th’s primary ballot in our area – LINK – not a well timed request, in my opinion. I’ve been mostly supportive and relatively pleased with the education my kids have received in our local public schools, but from […]

Stretching the focal length of the Palm Pre camera

| February 17, 2010

Palm Pre and Pixi webOS users have been patiently waiting for the soon to be released 1.4 software  OS update for their smartphones (it was expected Monday).  While waiting, I spent a few minutes fidgeting with the camera on my cellphone, wondering if there will be any tweaks beyond video. Rumor has it that we’ll […]

Breaking February snowfall records in SW Ohio

| February 16, 2010

Now that the worst of the couple of days of winter snow are over, I noticed that Clinton County (a county to the east) has just now declared a LEVEL 3 Snow Emergency (the one that closes roadways to non-emergency personnel – see below). I had thought that road crews were getting on top of […]

Video: A little “Bossy-Pants, Google” humor

| February 16, 2010

“Google, are you playing nice … or do you need a little parenting?” (WSJ Digits).

Windows 7 Release Candidate soon to expire

| February 16, 2010

There are still a few of us running Windows 7 RC and putting off the inevitable reinstall headache. I suppose I’ve been hoping that there might be some kind of extension or that I might end up with a new computer? Alas, the time is drawing near to install either Windows 7 Home Premium or […]

Nearing February snowfall records in SW Ohio

| February 15, 2010

The El Niño as certainly brought it share of precipitation this year, although I’m not sure where the warmer weather is? Here in Cincinnati we’re surpassing our February snowfall averages and nearing records, so I have been hearing – WCPOWeather Tweet. We’ve already past last year for snow for this time of year (21.5”) by […]

Minor WordPress update today – current version 2.9.2

| February 15, 2010

Updated to WordPress 2.9.2 which was primarily released to repair a problem “where logged in users can peek at trashed posts belonging to other authors.” Not a big deal for most WordPress users, but an easy update for those desiring to stay current.

USA win 33rd America’s Cup Match

| February 15, 2010

The original 1851 America Finally after too many years and several strong attempts to win her back, the America’s Cup is back in a U.S. yacht club for the first time since 1992. Team BMW Oracle defeated the Swiss Defender’s Alinghi outright to bring the the cup to San Francisco’s  Golden Gate Yacht Club in […]

Happy Valentine’s Day: Tim Hawkins shares his advice

| February 14, 2010

Men … how about a little humor from Tim Hawkins as we remember to wish those we love a Happy Valentine’s Day. Just to be clear — my advice is to avoid ‘all’ the pitfalls he sings about! 😀

What are you really getting with eBooks?

| February 13, 2010

With my daughter at home for a couple weeks while doing an M3 year “exploratory” at Children’s Hospital here in Cincinnati, I had the chance to use her new Barnes and Noble Nook to read a book. After the newness wore off and the expense of paying for digital ebooks and publications took hold, I’ve […]

Tiny solar powered sensor that supply power forever

| February 12, 2010

Gadgets, particularly those with microchips are getting more and more ‘micro’ all the time. For the most part, this leads to improvements in electronic gizmos that serve us daily for convenience and even health. I read an article in TechNewsDaily about a solar-powered sensor that is small enough to supply endless power, yet powerful enough […]

Palm Pre, PrePlus, Pixi concern rumor published in BGR?

| February 11, 2010

From BGR: According to an OTR Global report, three different sources have confirmed that all future orders of the Palm Pre and Palm Pre Plus are being suspended as of Wednesday. One of the sources said, “The decision is very sudden, and Foxconn was told to reduce all February Pre forecast to zero on Wednesday […]

Letterman-Oprah-Leno and the Super Bowl Ad

| February 10, 2010

The Media Decoder article in the NYTimes was eye opening with all the challenges and complexity to overcome in order to produce the Letterman-Oprah-Leno commercial. Most of us when seeing the ad chuckled, but probably didn’t give much thought to the difficulty in getting three notable entertainers together — not only to agree, but in […]

Slow work week due to snow although the economy doesn’t help

| February 10, 2010

I’m ‘enjoying’ (sort of) staying in town this week since most of Ohio has been receiving a good dose of snow. I’ve been out shoveling the walk (Palm Pre photo left – click for larger) and snowblowing the driveway more than once already – and no doubt will do it again before the last few […]

Audi A3 TDI clean diesel “green” ad has lovers and haters

| February 9, 2010

I had to chuckle this morning when registering my vote on the Wall Street Journal poll for best and worst commercial during the Super Bowl – Audi was first in both (click for graphic of poll). See ad video below It’s "Green Police" ad was the sixth most popular in USA TODAY’S Ad Meter, in […]

Google to Add Social Feature to Gmail

| February 8, 2010

Looks like a little more competition for those carving out their space in social networking? Google Inc. is taking a swipe at Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. with a new feature that makes it easier for users of Gmail to view media and status updates shared online by their friends.Google could announce the new Gmail […]

Who Dat? Dey be Super Bowl 44 champions

| February 8, 2010

The days of the “paper bags over the head” have given way to “destiny” and a dream come true for the 2010 Super Bowl winning New Orleans Saints and their many fans on Sunday. I thought the cool headed Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts would end up on top when pitting arm against arm,  […]

Car maintenance weekend project before the Superbowl

| February 7, 2010

Replaced the rear brakes on my daughter’s 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI for the second time in its life this weekend. They were in pretty bad shape, but I enjoyed being able to exchange the “liftetime warranty pads” at Autozone for free. The loner tool program and easy to use warranty make it a “recommended” place […]

For those that don’t remember great late night TV

| February 6, 2010

Since I missed posting to the blog on Saturday, I decide to back date a post that I found enjoyable.  Obviously I’m getting older since I can remember Johnny Carson hosting the Tonight Show, but I thought I’d share a clip portraying better late night television comedy that I’m seeing nowadays … in my opinion. […]

Book: Comeback American by David M. Walker

| February 5, 2010

Books about fixing America’s dysfunctional economy are trendy again and partisan finger pointing is probably the most notable component in most books. The book by David M. Walker called Comeback America is no exception when it comes to the frustration and anger he shares when in particular chastising President George W. Bush. Irritation aside, Walker […]

Video from EAA284’s Fly-In and Pancake Breakfast

| February 5, 2010

A friend of mine forward me a nicely produced video that Doug S., Doug G. and Jim W. from PRA Chapter 40 posted online after their visit to the Fly-In and Pancake Breakfast on Labor Day 2009. I also added the clip on the Taildragger Fly-In tab on our EAA284.org website as it highlights a […]

Economic news continues to be depressing

| February 4, 2010

The Dow Jones Industrials moved down over 270 points on Thursday as the economy stumbles yet again despite the promises of recovery from those spending taxpayer dollars in Washington. The move from equities by investors and traders is likely due to a rise in U.S. unemployment claims (up 8000 last week or 480,000 new claims) […]

Cellphone numbers go public this month

| February 3, 2010

Some reading it hear might want to add their landline phones or cellphones to the National Do Not Call Registry. Thanks Sam for sending the email to remind me. REMINDER…..all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS To […]

Work Related: testing an online publishing option

| February 2, 2010

Testing the issuu.com publishing platform option for a couple clients using sample content. Posting the small embed version of Enviro-energies product spec sheets on my blog to see if it could be useful (think of it as a virtual color e-reader).

DOT changes may reduce pilot training cost

| February 2, 2010

According to an Experimental Aviation Association bulletin, the long awaited revisions on the docket in the Federal Register support the 22 FAA proposed changes affecting sport pilots. Changes include allowing Sport Pilots to fly higher and safer in mountainous regions and permit weight-shift control aircraft and powered parachute to gain experience in towered airport airspace. […]

Punxsutawney Phil forecasts 6 more weeks of winter

| February 2, 2010

After hearing that the meteorological groundhog known as Punxsutawney Phil woke to see his shadow for Groundhog Day and predicted 6 more weeks of winter, I decided to check with our visiting rodent “Pumpy Umpy.” Although he’s a rabbit and not a groundhog, and just visiting from NE Ohio while my daughter spends a couple […]

Good products, better advertising and best placement

| February 1, 2010

Apple not only makes great products that their customers love, but does and even better job of advertising and creating ‘buzz’ with product placement. Here’s the new iPad being showcased by Stephen Cobert at the Grammy Awards.

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