RichC | January 31, 2011
The US stock market surprised many with strength as all three indices were up after continued turmoil in Egypt over the weekend and today (last week). To nobody’s surprise though, oil traded higher on the ICE futures exchange which saw Brent crude up $1.59, or 1.6%, at $101.01 a barrel; that was the highest settlement […]
RichC | January 31, 2011
Probably not a shock to many who travel, but don’t think that just because you’ve put a small travel lock on your suitcase, and that it doesn’t look tampered with, that your contents are safe, or alone – if traveling across borders you could be used as an involuntary mule. Who knew it was this […]
RichC | January 30, 2011
My daughter headed across the country on Saturday for what should be an enjoyable month of February working in California. As part of her M4 rotations, Katelyn will be staying with her long time friend Nora in Santa Clara and will be working at a hospital in conjunction with Stanford School of Medicine. The opportunity […]
RichC | January 30, 2011
For those who remember the last days of the cold war and paying attention to military aviation advancements, the Russian Mig-29 was a frightening aircraft … and it still is. It was put into service in 1983 and remains an “air superiority” jet fighter in my air forces around the world. In December of 2010 […]
RichC | January 29, 2011
While I’ve been anxious for the new tablet computer device from HP-Palm, expected to be announce at a California press event on February 9th, I wasn’t holding my breath as to when the devices would actually make it to market. Most industry watchers either have been told or expected them sometime this summer, although a […]
RichC | January 29, 2011
The L1 concept Volkswagen has been toying around with for the past couple of years is finally inching towards limited production (100 to be built). The car has grown into a side-by-side two seater and is known as the XL1 diesel plug-in hybrid has an aero design to reduce drag and increase gas mileage. It […]
RichC | January 28, 2011
January 28, 2011, Oshkosh, WI – www.sonexaircraft.com Posted via email from RichC’s posterous
RichC | January 28, 2011
As the middle east boils and Egypt joins Tunisia in a public uprising against their governments, world markets grow nervous seeing oil rise 4% today on worry over disruption. Not only is our U.S. stock market giving back it’s gains from the past few days, but the political unrest a half a world away reminds […]
RichC | January 28, 2011
A few words of appreciation from Jimmy Buffett … humbled by the outpouring of concern and well wishes from his fans. From his comments it does look like he is going to be just fine although will miss the New Zealand concert. Gotta love the the “Fins Up!” smile. 😎
RichC | January 28, 2011
In the State of the Union address this past Tuesday night, President Obama reflected on the space race as a time American’s found themselves behind in technology and rose to the occasion as Americans competed with the Russians in the frontier of space. “This is our generation’s Sputnik moment,” Obama said. As a result, we […]
RichC | January 27, 2011
Although the dream of flying around like the Jetsons has been something many of us believed would be here by now, those at Carter Copters are a bit more serious in developing something that might move us closer to that reality. Their combination of aviation engineering using fuel sipping diesel engines, gyro-plane lift, airplane like […]
RichC | January 26, 2011
A comment in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union call for corporate tax cuts and a spending freeze along with good corporate earnings reports have helped the Dow Jones Industrial Average to cross the 12000 mark. Let’s hope jobs follow? On a totally separate subject, I just heard that singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett fell from […]
RichC | January 26, 2011
Wh.gov’s web and social networking team did a great job with enhanced State of the Union coverage, as well as pre and post-coverage tonight. I wish I could say the same for my confidence in President Obama’s leadership and vision for our country. (SOTU Transcript and Republican response video below the split) First a positive […]
RichC | January 25, 2011
So the HP-Palm gadget many though might be the “PalmPad” is not going to receive the blessing of the United States Patent and Trademark Office; they sees the too close to other trademarks? (Palm, Palm Pre, etc) It sort of looks to me as if HP needs to go back to the ‘slate’ devices – […]
RichC | January 25, 2011
After switching to Verizon’s webOS Mobile Hotspot on my Sprint connected Palm Pre in order to be able to tether my phone, I had all but given up on MyTether. Although I’m not an everyday “tether-er” … having the ability to connect my notebook computer to the Internet in a pinch is important. Thankfully Raja […]
RichC | January 25, 2011
Every once in a while an unusual and simple web app catches one’s attention – in this case twbirthday.com. Plug your Twitter name into this site and it creates a Birth Certificate along with “assigning” a Godfather; who is your Godfather? In my case it is my New Hampshire friend Scott Bilik (@sbilik). Wow, has […]
RichC | January 24, 2011
Today marks my daughter Katelyn’s final residency interview (see 2006 White Coat) as she moves one step closer to finding out where she’ll be spending the next few years working (actually it’s a “second-look” interview). It has been an exciting few months watching her travel and listening to her comments regarding the different pediatric residency […]
RichC | January 23, 2011
While I haven’t been overly excited about January playoff leading to Superbowl 45 this year, I am enjoying the final two games of the playoffs this afternoon. Currently the Chicago Bears are having a difficult game against the Green Bay Packers, but the Chicago defense has elevated their play in the second half. Still with […]
RichC | January 23, 2011
For those who might be interested in what is happening in transportation here in Ohio (and the nation), Clean Fuels Ohio is hosting a lecture and a facilities tour at the Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research. The February 16th lunch will be a great opportunity to hear about the changes coming to the […]
RichC | January 22, 2011
The husband of a close friend of ours is in the middle of a community awareness and missions project that has been both eye opening for him and a chance to bring community attention to the homeless. Ryan Riddell, a pastor and real estate agent , is spending the month of January ‘homeless’ rather than […]
RichC | January 21, 2011
This is a strange way to fly …
RichC | January 21, 2011
Thursday was not the day to be driving in Ohio as the snow and traffic made for slow travel. I unfortunately drove from western New York to afternoon appointments in Akron and had to pass through Columbus near rush hour – obviously not named for the speed in which I was traveling! I did finally […]
RichC | January 20, 2011
There’s nothing more frustrating than a project requiring two hands in a dimly lit location without a good portable light or flashlight handy. With the improvements in LED lighting technology there are a lot of good strap-on head lamp options; one such ‘toolbox handy item’ is the Cyclops Micro LED Hat Light. It’s tiny […]
RichC | January 19, 2011
Add one more thing to the “inflation” worries (on top of energy and food) … especially if you are a Sprint wireless data smartphone user. It looks as if one might be wise to shop wireless phone carriers a little closer come renewal time. According to yesterday’s press release, Sprint has decided to “apply a […]
RichC | January 18, 2011
I dropped one of our juice glasses on the hardwood floors this morning and it really shattered into small shards of glass … hopefully I’ve swept up them all. I was surprised at how small the pieces were, but then that’s really not the point of this post. Really it was just an opportunity to […]
RichC | January 17, 2011
The WSJ This Morning podcast mentioned Flix on Stix, a new kiosk similar to Redbox, as yet another way to rent movies. The self-service kiosk delivers a movie to a USB flash drive which eliminates the need to return the movie. At first look it sounds like a great idea, as after selecting a movie […]
RichC | January 16, 2011
Once upon a time, I packed a small portable printer — Canon i70 — in my car when I traveled, but found it to be a hassle to keep it working. Fast forward to 2011 and I have found a possible use for a small lightweight printer – on the boat. Who knows if it […]
RichC | January 15, 2011
Just a photo from towndock.net/ … Posted via email from RichC’s posterous
RichC | January 14, 2011
I’ve posted regarding the superstreet intersections being constructed in Ohio and have wondered just how many more accidents are happening? According to the research, not having to turn left (and making a planned U-Turn instead) “reduce” accidents by 63%. Hmm … perhaps once we adjust to them, I’ll fell like they are an improvement, but […]
RichC | January 14, 2011
Good news for those who enjoyed the music of the Lt. Dan Band last year at Airventure. The EAA Warbirds of America and Disabled American Veterans who sponsored the band in 2010 have decided to do it again in 2011. EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wis. — (Jan. 6, 2011) — Back by popular demand, actor […]
RichC | January 13, 2011
As mentioned the other day, the 2012 Volkswagen Passat will be built on a new platform in Chattanooga, Tennessee and be available with the very efficient and desirable TDI diesel engine. According to what I’ve read on other blogs, the published fuel economy will be 43 mpg on the highway and will be offered with […]
RichC | January 12, 2011
It will be interesting to see if the FedEx driver delivering to our home on Tuesday will voluntarily make note of this “error in judgment” … or if the little off-roading incident will go unmentioned? I’ll need to check on things when the snow melts, but perhaps someone reading this knows how it is best […]
RichC | January 11, 2011
While staying on the smartphone subject trend, I’ve been curious as to where the market is going besides the phone’s hardware and operating system – yesterday’s grumbling about HP/Palm and webOS. The devices is only half the picture and far less of the investment – the carrier may be the game changer. In reading a […]
RichC | January 10, 2011
My son’s hero, as well as one of America’s WWII heroes, Major Richard ‘Dick’ Winters died this past week after battling Parkinson’s Disease for the past few years. He was 92 and is well respected for his bravery and leadership during World War II. Most of us learned of his service in the book and […]
RichC | January 10, 2011
Well I’m not giving up on the HP/Palm and their WebOS entirely just yet as it does look as if there might be a few improvements in the new 2.01 operating system to keep me happy with my current Palm Pre for a little bit longer … if it is made available? Thanks to a […]
RichC | January 9, 2011
Can’t say I like the “flames ad” (below), but I do like the new Chattanooga Tennessee built 2012 Volkswagen Passat … especially with a diesel and what appears to be attractive pricing, at least for the entry level? (this is yet to be seen for the TDI diesel version which should get impressive fuel economy) […]
RichC | January 9, 2011
To honor the victims of Saturday’s shooting in Tucson, Arizona, we will follow the Presidential Proclamation and fly our flag at half staff until sunset on Friday night. The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release January 09, 2011 Presidential Proclamation–Honoring the Victims of the Tragedy in Tucson, Arizona As a mark […]
RichC | January 7, 2011
I can sense it … the aging electronics and even older wiring is going to be an issue in getting things working 'dependably' on our new 'old' sailboat Encore. I'm sure it is not a surprise to those familiar with electronics on boats, especially ones that have already sail from England to New Zealand and […]
RichC | January 7, 2011
Those who have worked on older boats know that most of the time a new owner finds a rats nest of wiring that was either left after rewiring when new equipment was updated or part of a new installation. In my case I really just wanted to diagnosis problems with a non-functioning autopilot … the […]
RichC | January 6, 2011
We gave Katelyn’s friend Drew a multifunction “jumpstarter” which includes a small compressor to put in the trunk of his car this year for Christmas … who knew it would come in so handy so soon? Sorry to hear his new tires picked up a screw, but glad he found his Christmas gift […]
RichC | January 5, 2011
With decreasing fuel economy, part cold weather perhaps, I’m going to try and get my 2006 Honda Pilot looked at again. Last month I opted for some expensive spark plugs and a reset of the check engine light fault, but this month I think I’ll also do a belated timing belt change. It’s not an […]
RichC | January 4, 2011
It’s not hard to gauge the dominate players in smartphone market … iPhone, Android and Blackberry, the later feeling the pressure no doubt. Here’s a link to a good article by Joe Wilcox that sums up who is the biggest beneficiary of Apple’s one carrier (ATT) deal … the Android OS with its many carriers […]
RichC | January 3, 2011
A good friend, Clyde Witt (My Witt’s End), teased me with a few interesting and historical photos from the east coast over the holidays. His friend has a home on the shore which ‘had’ an old wooden mast used now to hoist a flag. It was ‘stepped’ securely in the rocky shoreline and has mark […]
RichC | January 2, 2011
After talking with my daughter this past week about games for cellphones … and mentioning to her that I didn’t really play them, I took advantage of a slow afternoon to download the popular Angry Birds for my Palm Pre – big mistake. I ended up draining my battery and wasting hours of an otherwise […]
RichC | January 1, 2011
My son couldn’t stop laughing at this Top Gear holiday episode – a road trip from Miami to New Orleans – and wanted me to watch it. It takes a little time so I watch it on New Year’s Day on the computer. “Crazy Brits” definitely applies to a few of the things they do. […]
RichC | January 1, 2011
With an expected economic recovery underway and oil prices rising, the biodiesel industry is looking to produce “as much as a billion gallons” and be profitable in 2011. Washington, D.C. — Boom times are ahead for a biodiesel industry that struggled just to stay alive in 2010. The industry could produce as much as a […]
RichC | January 1, 2011
According to a Smartmoney.com article by AnnaMaria Andriodis, we could see states and counties increasing taxes on new technology such as cellphones and e-books. Unlike Uncle Sam, state and county governments are required to balance their budgets and as local sales taxes and both the real estate and income tax stream of tax revenue dwindle […]