RichC | November 30, 2010
Are you thinking about bigger injectors and chipping your Volkswagen TDI for a few added HP and a bit more torque? Maybe an engine transplant is in order … although this little Detroit diesel coming in at 3424 HP might not be the optimum transplant for most VeeDubs? Still, this will be pretty impressive in […]
RichC | November 30, 2010
“The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 88 points, or 0.8% to 10964 in early trading.” A glance at the headlines of the Wall Street Journal this morning leaves me even more sour than does the gloomy and rainy day … although the at least the rain we need. It seems no matter where one looks […]
RichC | November 29, 2010
So … how many Cyber Monday emails have flooded your inbox today? By 10:30 EST I’ve counted 56 emails that are in my inbox (or spam folder) highlighting “cyber” and suspect there will be a few more that show up before the day’s end. Some of the more unconventional “cyber” sales are for cruises, woodworking […]
RichC | November 28, 2010
While helping my wife work on her Christmas letter today, she asked about the context for the famous Thomas Jefferson “Question with boldness” quote taken from his letter to his nephew Peter Carr on August 10, 1787. I’m archiving the text of the letter below Jeremiah’s letter to the Exiled Jews. “For I know the […]
RichC | November 27, 2010
With Brenda’s dad’s rehabilitation coming along fairly successfully, our family was thankful to be able to be with both Mom and Dad Howard for Thanksgiving this year. Although the time was short, we made the most of it and celebrate a challenging year giving thanks for all the blessings. Beside being able to take him […]
RichC | November 24, 2010
Congratulations to my friend Bruce and somewhat local (<2hrs from Cinci) Volkswagen TDI guru for putting together the winning bid to host this years TDIFest. As those of us in the CinciTDI group found out in 2008, it was a big job … but ultimately rewarding. Hopefully our locals will be able to lend a […]
RichC | November 23, 2010
The financial markets are on edge and trading lower today after a skirmish between North Korea and South Korea saw missiles being exchanged. The previous negative news over euro-zone debt is being overshadowed by this latest tension, but some economist point to a glimmer for a rebound in the U.S. economy do to economic growth […]
RichC | November 23, 2010
Although the eco ‘Bluemotion’ powered Volkswagen Scirocco 2.0 TDI’s fuel economy is calculated at 62.8mpg in UK imperial gallons, the 52.3mpg US number isn’t half bad either (conversion tool). The Sporty VeeDub’s impressive efficiency may not be it’s only attraction since there are many past Scirocco and current VW TDI owner drooling for a sleeker […]
RichC | November 23, 2010
I fell for the “cash for appliances” boondoggle last spring when replacing our dishwasher, but now after the fact I couldn’t be happier with how much easier dishwashing has become. It’s hard to believe that in my lifetime Brenda and I have never had a dishwasher that cleans … or scrubs dishes. We’ve owned three […]
RichC | November 22, 2010
My eyes never wander when we are talking about the female form … I keep them focused straight ahead … for my health and safely. But … I will admit to looking at cars. What’s interesting after reviewing a new Mercedes-Benz.TV video, the most “eye-catching” part of the CLS for me is the little […]
RichC | November 21, 2010
I almost forget … but I promised Jacob I would post this video. Here’s the footage that survived a CinciTDI How-To video attempt a year or so ago. Unfortunately the second part of the video (the more difficult part) covered the seal which requires more delicate adjustment and didn’t survive. I’m hoping we get a […]
RichC | November 20, 2010
I received an email a few weeks ago asking “what’s Airventure?” Rather than telling them it’s an airshow, tradeshow and a social gathering for lovers of aviation, I felt a better explanation was to show them this video 2010 Airventure – Beyond This Historic Brown Gate (well done Slick).
RichC | November 19, 2010
The latest expensive gift catalog arrived from Hammacher Schlemmer in our mailbox just in time for me to add the Terrafugia Transition to Santa’s list. Actually I was shocked to see the “flying car” appear on the cover … a perfect gift for someone with money to burn. It is priced at $350,000, although you […]
RichC | November 19, 2010
The boot modifying program called Soluto seems to help keep my Windows 7 notebook computer’s cold boot a bit snappier. Although my older Windows machine may not be up to netbook, tablet or Macbook speeds, the improved one minute and 44 second boot is better than without the Soluto tweaks. The company’s tagline as “anti-frustration” […]
RichC | November 19, 2010
What a rush — just hold down your “Bile and Regurgitated Food” please – aka: BARF.
RichC | November 18, 2010
Although I’m not rushing to melt down my wedding band just yet, the impressive decade long run-up in gold prices does have me thinking about cashing in. Maybe I can convince my wife to send in a few of those rarely worn gifts to goldstash.com. (If it’s good enough for the conservative financial radio guy […]
RichC | November 17, 2010
I’m archiving an older forum post from a few years back when I still had my little diesel Jetta. Occasionally someone asks me why I’m “pro-skidplate” on a Volkswagen TDI and I point them to this post … Don’t be on the fence. Here’s a older photo taken shortly after I installed a skidplate … […]
RichC | November 17, 2010
Ouch. On a wet and rainy Tuesday evening the Dakota pickup truck behind my daughter didn’t stop quick enough. The minor fender-bender was at a stop sign and there were no injuries, just damaged plastic and bent metal … and the frustration of having to deal with insurance adjusters, collision repair centers, rent a […]
RichC | November 17, 2010
I’ve always enjoyed unique vehicles such as the AmphiCars of the past or the flying Super Sky Cycle motorcycle and Terrafugia Transition flying car, but didn’t realize how far the drive-able boat has come along. Some years ago I recall the Floating Cubans attempted to escape the grip of Fidel in a 1951 Chevy pickup […]
RichC | November 16, 2010
A friend of mine posted about the Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. on Facebook and it was a reminder to me how devastating Ménière’s disease was. Back in the 1990’s I (and my family) struggled in dealing with the frustrating ringing, sudden attacks of vertigo and associated debilitating sickness (sea-sickness as I described it). Although […]
RichC | November 15, 2010
Flight Photo from wright-b-flyer.org EAA Chapter 284’s meeting this month was a trip to Dayton-Wright Brother Airport and the Wright B Flyer museum. Our meeting centered around aviation history and the of the building of a replicate “B” Flyer which started with the flying look-a-like Brown Bird which first flew in July 1982. The airplane […]
RichC | November 15, 2010
The 2004 Jean-Claude Picot seriolithograph from our trip to Bermuda this past summer finally arrived (Trip archive: Post 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ). I’m saving an image of the painting so that at least I’ll have a record somewhere. Our Saturday afternoon unboxing Since 1956, Jean Claude Picot has been working exclusively as […]
RichC | November 13, 2010
I first heard about Yves Rolly, “jetman,” back in 2006 and posted one of his first videos. This time he has made a few design improvements and jumped from a balloon as soon as his four jet engines fire up. Wow … what a rush!
RichC | November 12, 2010
Although I’ve used a few different online dictionaries over the years, I’ve concluded that using a program called WordWeb is better than all the cookies, flash cookies and beacons. According to a WSJ article this summer, sites like Dictionary.com were pretty intrusive. More than half of the sites examined by the Journal installed 23 or […]
RichC | November 11, 2010
While contemplating how to best comment on Veterans Day this year, I’ve decided that I would detour my trip home tonight and stop in to thank my dad in person for his service in Korea. Although in the past he generally avoided even acknowledging it, in recent years he and his fellow veterans have become […]
RichC | November 11, 2010
Although including politically oriented subject matter on my blog is divisive, it is still something that “we” talk about in our daily grind so I’ll still continue to include a few pointed posts. I’d like to think that with November 2nd is behind us we’ll see a year or so of productive governing in Washington […]
RichC | November 10, 2010
My son sent me a video clip to reminded me that 35 years ago today was the day the iron ore freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank with all 29 ‘souls onboard’ in Lake Superior. Thanks Taylor. (Hmm, what’s the origin of ‘souls onboard?’). Having spent my childhood growing up on the Great Lakes in a […]
RichC | November 10, 2010
I wouldn’t be throwing rocks if I lived in your “house” Ms. Maddow … MSNBC TV cable news network is far from innocent when it comes to having political bias. We’re not a political operation, Fox is. We are a news operation. ~ Rachel Maddow
RichC | November 9, 2010
Where would you install photovoltaic solar panels if they were clear? Perhaps they will be in the not so distant future as contemplated by Alyssa Danigelis in her Discovery News article. And here’s a new word of the day: buckyballs – spherical or ellipsoidal cages made up of covalently bonded carbon atoms discovered in 1985 […]
RichC | November 8, 2010
For many trying to recover from a difficult and seemingly never ending recession, the thought of their dollars getting weaker and weaker is demonstrated most clearly by the price of gold continuing to rise. For people living on a fixed income, the fear of their purchasing power falling is unsettling. Not only has gold continued […]
RichC | November 8, 2010
The US military continues to move forward with renewable alternatives to petroleum. The latest being the a 49-foot naval gunboat testing a algae-based biodiesel in Norfolk, Virginia. (See Green Investing article from Green Chip Stocks) Algae Biodiesel Filling U.S. Naval Tanks Last week, a 49-foot naval gunboat was the first to test-drive algae-based fuel as […]
RichC | November 8, 2010
This past weekend was part chore part automotive fun. My daughter was home and it was time for a little light Volkswagen TDI tinkering … and routine oil and filter changes. All is well with her little 2001 VW Jetta TDI diesel which is now at 135,000 miles. Katelyn does love her little economical car […]
RichC | November 8, 2010
Maybe I’m still in shock and still need to slap myself in order to believe the Cleveland Browns gave the New England Patriots a “shellacking” on Sunday afternoon – CLE 34, NE 14. It was a great game to have enjoyed watching with my daughter, a Browns fan now that she has spent 17 of […]
RichC | November 7, 2010
While behind on my autumn chores, I was shocked to see my gutters iced over when cleaning them out on Saturday. I didn’t realized that the temperature dropped so much and was actually shocked to see 21 degrees this morning. No wonder the furnace is running so much already! Palm Pre smartphone video posted to […]
RichC | November 7, 2010
Perhaps I’ve been living in a cave or something … but just recently heard about the legal battle over the Nissan.com domain while talking with a client this week. He mentioned the story I’m sharing below after we talked about a minor frustration I was having over domain name – all ended well. I told […]
RichC | November 6, 2010
Although the new HP Palm Pre 2 has shown up in France, and according to rumors (an accidental web posting) will be available on Verizon in a couple days, I’m having a hard time getting too excited. That’s probably a good thing since my carrier Sprint may not have it for a while. The added […]
RichC | November 5, 2010
Here’s a last minute Tech Friday idea; a website that creates your own newspaper from Twitter connections. Paper.li is a service that assembles a newspaper-like page with links, photos and media from Twitter users, lists or #keywords. Within a minute you can publish and share a randomly composed page of interesting, or not so interesting, […]
RichC | November 5, 2010
For those of us who enjoy TED Talks, there’s a new app on its way for the HP webOS devices like the Palm Pre that should make content available on the go. According to a post on the Toondoctor, the app will be free as well as ad free. Features Browse, search and view video […]
RichC | November 4, 2010
The word might just make it to the next National Spelling Bee:Shellacking – as in, “I’m not recommending future Presidents taking a ‘shellacking’ like we did last night.” Posted via email from RichC’s posterous
RichC | November 4, 2010
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency reported that the crew of mostly 14 year old sailors from Poland arrived safely in the U.K. after their tall ship was battered by a storm. The Fryderyk Chopin lost both its masts when it was hit by gale-force winds about 100 miles southwest of the English coast on […]
RichC | November 4, 2010
I’m not sure why, but out of the blue my college age son sent me a music video last night? I don’t know whether I should take the lyrics to heart, just enjoy the music or look to improve some flawed area of my life? Anyway, he sent the 2006 Rodney Atkins song “Watching You” […]
RichC | November 3, 2010
I’m not really a political junkie, but the 2010 midterm election have left me with a few memories … many highlighted in the media or from ads by their competitors. A few of them, triggered by the less political savvy Tea Party supported candidates, still makes me chuckle a little bit. Here’s a list of […]
RichC | November 2, 2010
Just for the fun of it I’m tracking the election tonight as the results come in. My early gut call is that the Tea Party groups will run many of the incumbent Democrats out of office and give Republicans the House of Representatives. In fact, I’m not really following the House race and believing it […]
RichC | November 2, 2010
Once upon a time in 2008, there was a great “get out the vote” drive helping young people, less civic minded urban folks and busy college students to register to vote. Democrats in particular canvased college campuses going dorm door to dorm door with the necessary paperwork so that students would be prepared to vote. […]
RichC | November 1, 2010
The San Francisco Giants and their solid pitching shut down the high powered hitting of the Texas Rangers to become the 2010 World Series champs. The final score in the game was 3 – 1. I’m disappointed not to see the series go further towards game 7 as I wanted to see those aging Ranger […]