Who designs the plastic knobs on washing machines?

| March 31, 2012

Take two on the “who designs these things?” A couple of weeks ago I posted on the rust inside an automatic icemaker and wondered why a better grade of material that could resist the rust wasn’t used inside a freezer so prone to moisture. Today the  knob on our GE clothes washing machine snapped off […]

Endorsing an honest and trustworthy local business

| March 31, 2012

For the past couple of years I’ve been taking our cars to a privately owned automotive service business (in West Chester, OH) and have been satisfied with the work. I’ve also enjoyed getting to know the owner, Tim Ellison, who’s Christian walk and straightforward business dealings are one in the same. Besides using Mr. Godwrench […]

Sharing an impressive and artistic Wind Map website

| March 30, 2012

Click and be impressed …

Tech Friday: The personal touch? GetHuman.com

| March 30, 2012

Try  GetHuman.com. Here a quick Tech Friday post that I’ve found helpful when needing to connect directly to a person rather than phone tree or online support. It is useful to remember when the frustration levels rise OR after a long wait and computer disconnect … very frustrating!

What kind of deals are you seeing on the Chevy Volt?

| March 28, 2012

I’ve sort of wondered just what kind of push GM was going to make in order to start moving their Chevrolet Volts … not that I’m looking. I suspect one of the reasons the cars are not selling well is that they are price way too high for an “experimental” car … who really knows […]

Green grass and ground cover flowers are growing fast

| March 27, 2012

I was out at dusk trying to get a little more of the grass cut again. The grass is green and growing fast … I don’t think I’m going to be able to keep up with it if it rains. Thankfully it was dry enough (barely) to get some of the longest and thickest cut, […]

Finally decided on a tablet – a lightly used Verizon 64GB iPad 2

| March 26, 2012

Those of you who read my blog once in a while know that I’ve struggled to decide which way to go when it comes to eReaders, Android tablets or iPads (or smartphones for that matter). I’m no longer on the fence; as timing would have it, a family member of one of my customers upgraded […]

Where’s the line between free and offensive speech?

| March 25, 2012

Americans seem to be flirting with politically correct issue of “hateful distasteful speech” once again. After some trashy talk in the previous couple of elections, from the media notables and celebrities targeting Sarah Palin to the death threats to cartoonist for caricatures of Muhammad, Rush Limbaugh is being targeted for his inappropriate comments of Sandra […]

Human wingpowered flight … still a dream

| March 24, 2012

Although this turn out to be an elaborate hoax, it sure gets the juices flowing for all those who dream of flying like a bird!

Archive: Homemade cleaning concoctions put to the test

| March 24, 2012

We have a few homemade cleaners around our house, but are too quick to buy others at the store without thinking about them. Here are a few greener options that Elizabeth Kwak-Hefferan of Grist that she put to the test. Of course these are organic and earthy for those leaning “hippy,” but nothing wrong with […]

Oh great, my son thinks he has “tiger blood”

| March 23, 2012

Taylor and I drove down to Cincinnati this afternoon to see a reconstructive facial surgeon about his fracture … and as we waited for his appointment I asked how the week after the assault went – “fine,” was his answer, “I have tiger blood.” Obviously Taylor spent too much time last year paying attention to […]

Tech Friday: Chris Miller talks about security for online IDs

| March 23, 2012

Saw these tips on Google+ earlier this week and thought they would make for a good Tech Friday post.  Chris Miller has some great ideas regarding online security such as using a set of fabricated security question answers, separate addresses for Private, Personal and Public emails and setting all online avatars and info the same […]

Volkswagen adds another 800 American jobs in Tennessee

| March 22, 2012

According to Volkswagen (WSJ), the demand for their new American built Passat is showing steady improvement and therefore they’ll will be adding a 3rd shift and 800 new jobs in their Chattanooga Tennessee plant. I’ve commented on the new diesel version Passat previously and found it an excellent mid-sized sedan; with the current high oil […]

Politician from both sides doing little to move us forward

| March 22, 2012

It’s easy for someone like me with a fiscally and socially conservative ideology to disagree with President Obama and his expansion of government. I disagree with his irresponsible deficit spending, his liberal social philosophies and adding new entitlements. As he approaches re-election he has also returned to blaming someone else for problems, even after 3+ […]

Clean up on this unseasonable 80 degree first day of spring

| March 21, 2012

The unseasonably warm weekend prior and first day of spring brought a bit of clean up to the Corbett yard and with that our semi-annual bonfire (we have one spring and fall – or kid gatherings). While we are probably burning the dead wood and yard debris in violation of some kind of local township […]

Temperatures of the new iPad are warmer than the iPad2

| March 20, 2012

Since I already use a sometimes hot smartphone, very hot Gateway notebook and have a smokin’ hot wife  (oh, scratch that last Pastor Joe “NASCAR” Nelms plagurized line) … I’m not sure I’m anxious for another “temperature” hot device? Hmm, the discounted iPad2 is looking better all the time. It looks like we weren’t the […]

Historic Event: Chrome Surpasses IE Market Share

| March 20, 2012

According to StatCounter, Chrome accounted for 32.70% of browser market share on Sunday, followed by 32.48% for IE and 24.88% for Firefox. The most popular browser version was Chrome 17 with 29.51%. IE9 was a distant second with just 15.61%. IE8, Firefox 10 and Firefox 11 followed with 13.56%, 9.91%, and 6.86%, respectively. On a […]

My quick impression after spending an hour with new iPad3

| March 19, 2012

I spent an hour playing with my friend’s new iPad (3) over a lunch this past weekend and may have had too high of expectations. It was nice, but didn’t leave me with the must have desire that I expected. The AT&T 4G version operated similar to my son’s wifi only iPad 2 that I […]

Our White Star Magnolia has bloomed super early this year

| March 18, 2012

Since each year I’ve either looked at, blogged about or taken a photo of the White Star Magnolia we planted for Brenda back on Mother’s Day in 2008, I’ll include a macro video test  with the little waterproof Kodak Playsport Zx5 pocket camera. (hint: don’t use the macro setting for this) The flowers have been […]

Archive: Getting hit in the face is a good day to forget

| March 17, 2012

Friday was one of those days I would rather forget … and I know Taylor would say the same. For me, it was a day of running around to hospitals, dentists and doctors with my son … for Taylor it was a obviously more painful. He was Uptown in Oxford (Miami University-Ohio) on a Thursday […]

Do you really want to wait in a line for the new iPad?

| March 16, 2012

I’m not planning on going to Walmart to stand in line at 12:01AM to buy the new iPad, but would like to end up with one at some point. From the reports I’ve been reading, the battery life is still excellent (10 hours), the retina display unbeatable (super sharp) and the added weight/thickness hardly noticeable […]

Rip roaring a rally car on the snow covered Alps

| March 15, 2012

The Top Gear crew filmed a Peugeot 207 S 2000 racing down the snow covered twists and turns near the ski resort Ravascletto (Monte Zoncolan in the Alps). The video below displays some pretty impressive driving with drifting and high speeds by the 6 time Italian rally champion Paolo Andreucci. Beautiful scenery that … debatably […]

Venus and Jupiter easily notice in the evening sky

| March 15, 2012

This month Venus and Jupiter are putting on a great show and stand out in the evening sky. The warm temperatures and clear atmosphere gave me an excuse to sit outside and take a couple photos. (a few facts)

The end of an era — the Encyclopedia Britannica ends print edition

| March 14, 2012

As is blatantly obvious in my business (printing), publishing history and information to paper is becoming as obsolete as recording sound to vinyl or video to magnetic tape. The Encyclopedia Britannica, which has been in continuous print since it was first published in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1768, said Tuesday it will end publication of its […]

The lunacy of the super perigee moon

| March 14, 2012

Interesting educational video explaining the super moon a little over a month away in May 2012. A couple of the points were interesting, such as the word “lunacy” (lunar) coming from the folklore of strange things happening under a full moon. The couple centimeters of tidal change also surprised me. It was less than I […]

The Loop Current again — once a concern for the BP oil spill

| March 13, 2012

Strange story about the Loop Current that runs around the southern tip of Florida and a three month voyage of the abandoned Lucky Dog (previous story).   PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL – A boat that sank in the Gulf of Mexico in December has reappeared – on a beach on the east coast of Florida. […]

Twitter Buys Into Blogging With Posterous

| March 12, 2012

Hmm … I’ll have to keep my eye on this … Twitter Buys Into Blogging With Posterous Twitter said Monday that it has acquired micro-blogging service Posterous, but will leave it up and running. Both companies announced the acquisition in a pair of blog posts that were posted Monday. “Today we are welcoming a very […]

The sad state of liberty: handcuffs, fingerprinting and mug shots

| March 12, 2012

Ever since I can remember I’ve carried a pocket knife … in part because the first one was given to me by my grandfather when I was 5 years old. Yes … FIVE … and I can vividly remember cutting ants in a sandbox (where was Peta?). Although it was a small single blade tourist […]

Trip to Florida wrap-up and the cost savings analysis of renting

| March 11, 2012

After the long overnight drive home here’s a wrap up post from my trip to Florida with my son Taylor over his college spring break.  We had a mostly great father-son time and I for one was glad he chose to spent the week with me rather than other friends or SigEp fraternity brothers – […]

Finished up the Nicro solar vents on Encore just in time

| March 10, 2012

  Not much writing here, but wanted to add a couple of the solar vent project photos and the rebedding of the hatch (since it was raining, it was a great time to check the seal).    And of course the fidgety Taylor just waiting for the rain to stop …   I’m including a […]

The new iPad – the 3rd generation. Surprised? Not really.

| March 8, 2012

Apple introduced their highly anticipated “new iPad” and although most of the specs were as expected, CEO Tim Cook didn’t reference it as the iPad3 … just the new iPad (although it is the third generation). A few leading features are the new 9.7 inch retina display with 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution, a class leading 10 hour […]

Biggest Solar Storm in Five Years to Hit Earth

| March 7, 2012

Hmm … going to have to watch the GPS side of things? WASHINGTON—The largest solar storm in five years is racing toward Earth, threatening to unleash a torrent of charged particles that could disrupt power grids, GPS and airplane flights. via online.wsj.com Posted via email from RichC’s posterous

Boat projects and exploring with the Zodiac inflatable

| March 7, 2012

      We been experiencing some strong wind and ocean waves that are too large for comfortable sailing, so Taylor and I have been working on boat projects. Both the solar vents have been installed and are working; the leaking port has been “sort of” fixed as there wasn’t an easy solution (the aluminum port was […]

Heading south for a couple days of warm weather and sun

| March 5, 2012

… and hopefully sailing. Since Taylor is on spring break and isn’t heading with is Fraternity buddies to a drinking location with half of Miami University (and that half may be an under-statement), I suggested he and I drive down to Encore and spend a few days on the boat. Cheap trip for him, worthwhile […]

Learning about Premium Support proposed to save Medicare

| March 4, 2012

We’ve all heard the “kicking the can down the road” metaphor as it relates to those we elect to govern the country and manage our tax contributions (or mismanage as the case may be). I’ve been trying to educate myself on one component my parents and my wife’s parent rely on – Medicare. I suspect […]

Storms cut a wide swath thru 10 Midwestern States

| March 3, 2012

Following up on yesterday’s Tech Friday weather watching post, I had no idea that we were in store for this much destruction; the front spawned over 80 tornadoes and impacted ten midwestern states. I’m sure the death toll by these strong storms without the advancements and communications available to those monitoring severe weather. It is […]

Tech Friday: Watching the weather with ChaserTV.com

| March 2, 2012

If you’re looking for a new way to watch the weather, check out ChaserTV.com … it is a weather and storm watching site and also has trackers with cameras in cars all tied to maps.  So instead of pulling up the basic weather while we are under a tornado watch here in the Cincinnati area […]

Planning a couple Nicro Solar Day/Night vents for Encore

| March 2, 2012

This week I unboxed a couple of the Marinco Nicro Solar Day/Night vents and added a couple of new tools to my box in preparation for my next boat related project. The plan is to keep the a little bit of air circulating inside of our sailboat in order to retard the musty smell and […]

Finally updated WordPress to version 3.3.1

| March 1, 2012

I did a little housecleaning to my blog today and finally updated the WordPress install to the current 3.3.1 release (Jan 2012).  (updated my WordPress.com “alias” blog and Posterous blog too … but am unsure exactly how and what I want to use the duplicate postings for?)

Pay your taxes, buy this product and provide these services

| March 1, 2012

It is hard to believe this is still America. The expanding government is not only dictating what individuals or companies will purchase and provide, over an above the long list of taxes we pay, but are spending way too much time on the nitty gritty details of what once was personal liberty. I’m starting to […]

Andrew Breitbart, Publisher and Author, Dead – ABC News

| March 1, 2012

Another notable has died way too young. Let’s hope those on the “radical left” don’t go overboard with their glee. Andrew Breitbart, the noted Internet publisher and author, has died, according to a source at Big Journalism. He was 43. A statement posted on his website said that Breitbart died “unexpectedly from natural causes” this […]

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