The future for diesel powered cars in the U.S. is promising

| April 30, 2012

Interesting article with perhaps a slightly bias option … but in an article today Bosch projects that by 2015 one in ten new cars sold in the U.S. will be powered by a diesel engine. … data from CNW Research says that with greater awareness of new clean diesels, and a lower cost premium for […]

Novus Fine Scratch Remover for headlights

| April 29, 2012

Since my daughter is home this weekend, I did a few items of maintenance on her 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. After replacing a headlight I thought I’d using a little plastic scratch remover on the yellow and hazy lenses. For $5.99 and a little elbow grease they polished up nicely — so much for the […]

Losing your smartphone, e-reader, tablet or notebook computer

| April 28, 2012

Airlines say they are warehousing hundreds of iPads and other tablet computers and e-readers left behind by travelers. Carriers try to reunite the devices with their owners but are often thwarted by the lack of ID tags, password protection and Apple Inc.’s reluctance to track down owners based on serial numbers. — WSJ   Scott […]

Tech Friday: A test drive of Google Drive

| April 27, 2012

Against my TOS reservations, I installed the PC version of Google Drive on my notebook computer. So far from what I can see – for storage — it’s not all that different from Sugarsync that I used for a couple years and my regularly used Dropbox installation (still preferred at this time). I had thought […]

First account of the sailing tragedy in San Francisco

| April 26, 2012

Why it is dangerous to sail close to land, inlets and reefs in areas of strong currents, high winds and heavy swells. See article from a survivor of April 14th’s Full Crew Farallones Race. http://tinyurl.com/Lat38-120424

The cost of eBay and Paypal for the less savvy

| April 25, 2012

Family and friends say, “just sell it on eBay.” There was a day when I thought it might be easy, but by the time a person figures out what it takes to make a once in a while sale, it might be time to think twice. I purchased a part that I ended up not needing […]

CNET: Who owns your files on Google Drive?

| April 25, 2012

Before jumping ship from Dropbox, Skydrive or Sugarsync for Google Drive, the new lower price cloud storage solution, be sure to read the TOS agreement. A quick analysis of Google’s terms of service shows how the search company owns the files you upload the minute they are submitted, and can in effect do anything it […]

Archive: Lunchtime update for our front porch project

| April 24, 2012

I finished wire brushing, sanding and painting the black iron railing last night and greeted the masons over lunch to see how the progress of the thin pavers is coming along. Sort of glad I hired them and am not tackling this project myself. (I was actually was up on the roof yesterday – birds […]

Gideon Sundback the zipper inventor celebrated on Google

| April 24, 2012

Google’s latest doodle is a zipper down the center of the search engine’s homepage marking the birthday of Gideon Sundback, the Swedish-American electrical engineer creating the “zipper” which revolutionized the clothing industry.  How many times have you “zipped” without thinking that some inventor created this. Before Sundback’s intervention, the idea for a fastener based on […]

This “horse” stinks … what is it?

| April 24, 2012

Well it looked like a horse to me … but since my wife is the one with the chemistry background I don’t feel so bad. This structure is for CH3CH2SH or the organic compound Ethanethiol (EtSH), commonly known as ethyl mercaptan. It is most notably added to liquified petroleum gas  (LPG) to help warn of gas leaks.  According to […]

Video for WordPress and embed issues for multiple browsers

| April 23, 2012

Here’s what works and what doesn’t work when using the Hana Flv Player plug in with my WordPress install in an attempt to figure out the best way to post video that will play in all browser/hardware combinations. Embedding test video with the Kodak Playsport Zx5 1. Safari on the iPad 2 only post description […]

Israel regarding Iran: 2012 is going to be a critical year

| April 23, 2012

The U.S. and its allies finalized operations in Iraq last year, but continue to struggle with what victory looks like in another theatre of operation (Afghanistan). The sabers also rattle a bit louder this weekend regarding another possible middle-east war. This weekend Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Benny Gantz  was interviewed by the […]

A test to see how well the Hana video plug-in works

| April 22, 2012

Testing the Hana plug-in with H.264 mp4 files. This first is with the Kodak Zx5 at the lowest setting. (iPad compatible) HANA PLAYER REPLACED in 2019 ADD — Test 2: Palm Pre raw video upload test

New video embed compatible with Apple devices

| April 22, 2012

I’ve been using embedded flash video for everything up to this point on my blog and unless the services like YouTube offer Apple H.264 mp4 versions, viewers have been out of luck with my posted video. I spent a few hours looking at different option and will give Hana FLV Player a try. Hopefully it […]

Feel good story: Caine’s Arcade

| April 22, 2012

Posted via email from RichC’s posterous

Movie Trailer: One Simple Question – Quest to Find an Iceberg

| April 22, 2012

I’ve been following Ben Erikson’s sailing, great photos and videos since he was sailing his NorSea … a boat like we once owned. Over the years he has used his talents to share information on a couple blogs while he reconditioned his sailboats (plural) – the most recent his BCC Elizabeth. Eventually he met up […]

No Government loan guarantees, but better ideas

| April 21, 2012

Solar3D, Inc. (solar3d.com) is developing a breakthrough 3-dimensional solar cell technology to maximize the conversion of sunlight into electricity. Up to 30% of incident sunlight is currently reflected off the surface of conventional solar cells, and more is lost inside the solar cell materials. Inspired by light management techniques used in fiber optic devices, our […]

Spring clean up leads to a bigger front porch project

| April 21, 2012

I was planning to tackle our decaying concrete front porch myself, but after purchasing the thin pavers and contemplating the preparation masonry work, I opted instead to hire a skilled mason to at least repair the brick trim. Of course after getting into it I’m finding badly rusting iron railings and more than just weakened […]

According to this there aren’t many reasons to check email

| April 20, 2012

Tech Friday: The new GetPocket ReadItLater service

| April 20, 2012

http://www.getpocket.com ReadItLater.com is/was one of the better services for saving web pages for later reading or archive research. I’ve used a couple different services over the year on the computer, but have found the new ReadItLater better than most — and the free services is excellent. It is now called Pocket (getpocket.com) and has an […]

Can average Americans get their heads around these numbers?

| April 19, 2012

Volkswagen TDIs still dominate diesel sales in the U.S.

| April 19, 2012

TDI diesels from Volkswagen are the only mid priced diesels available, so it is no wonder VW has 58% of all diesel sales in the U.S. As the new Passat TDIs become more available, expect their sales to nip away at the Jetta TDI dominance. Allen Schaeffer, DTF’s executive director, said in a statement that, […]

Test recording a little audio with the iPad while mobile

| April 19, 2012

This content is restricted.

Fake leather and Naugahyde – Save the Naugas

| April 18, 2012

In the late 60s and 70s, polyester clothing was popular (think leisure suits) and plastics were making their way in to products that were traditionally made of natural materials. Back then, we would joke about ranchers herding up the wild “Naugas” to fill the demand for naugahyde (the pleather of the day). But the fake […]

Warren Buffett informs shareholders of Stage 1 Prostate Cancer

| April 17, 2012

Warren Buffett: “I have been diagnosed with Stage 1 Prostate Cancer. My condition is not remotely life-threatening. I feel great — as if I were in my normal excellent health — and my energy level is 100 percent. I discovered the cancer because my PSA level (an indicator my doctors had regularly checked for many […]

Space Shuttle Discovery takes a final ride to Washington DC

| April 17, 2012

It is still quite remarkable to see NASA haul around a giant space shuttle piggybacked on a modified Boeing747, this time it is Discovery heading to its final Washington DC Smithsonian home. For those of us who grew up with the entire space program it is indeed a sad end to an adventurous and exciting […]

A one knee proposal + a beautiful ring + yes = ENGAGED

| April 15, 2012

Well maybe the above math may not be as simple as it looks … but it computes in the case of Katelyn and Drew. Ready or not, it is time for this dad to let go of his daughter. Drew Oostra has asked my daughter Katelyn to marry him and she replied “yes” … although […]

Surprising what high powered website can do for blog traffic

| April 14, 2012

I noticed a spike in my normal web traffic the other day as a weekend post was mentioned on a high traffic website. As someone who posts to a tiny personal blog, it still amazes me how many clicks and visitors My Desultory Blog generates. Over the years I have also noticed that viewers are […]

Tech Friday: Zite – a personalized magazine app for the iPad

| April 13, 2012

There are a number of news reading and article assembling type apps available for computer, phone and tablet platforms. I’ve looked at a few, but tend to shy away since they collect too many articles. Zite is a free one for the iPad (and iPhone) that I’m starting to like … probably because I’m only […]

Hertz Green Traveler Collection includes VW Jetta TDI

| April 12, 2012

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to rent a diesel car at car rental companies … never have been successful. Occasionally I’ll rent a hybrid (Prius) or a Volkswagen Jetta (gasser), but haven’t been able to find a TDI. Hopefully we’ll see a few more airport locations offer the TDI at a […]

Q: What would you say to a diesel Mazda CX-5 CUV?

| April 11, 2012

A: I’d say bring it to the U.S. please … it would definitely attract my attention. According to a post over at Autoblog, Mazda expected to sell just 1,000 CX-5s a month in Japan, but it instead sold 8 times that number –  8,000 in February – and over 70% of them were diesel (and […]

One step closer to a no holds barred Romney vs. Obama fight

| April 10, 2012

It looks like the contest is about over for the GOP candidates … although the smart money has been on Governor Romney for a few months now … but it has been difficult for Mitt Romney to land a knockout blow, as challengers seemed to tag-team against him for the last year. Yet in the […]

Carry-in Easter dinner and conversation with mom and dad

| April 9, 2012

We spent Easter Sunday with Mom and Dad this year. Brenda packed up a nice and simple dinner along with a table cloth and candles (a nice touch) to lighten the chores for dad. We still unfortunately spent too much time discussing health issues, but it is what it is this year. Mom’s week was […]

My Apple iPad 2 and Kensington keyboard/folio thoughts

| April 7, 2012

Here are a few more first impressions … well I suppose second impressions … as I start to incorporated the “new to me” Apple iPad 2 in my daily use. One of the additions wanted was a bluetooth keyboard and some kind of case, so added the Kensington KeyFolio Pro2 bluetooth keyboard and folio/case. The small […]

Enjoyed tethering with the iPad during a busy week of travel

| April 6, 2012

I spent the week traveling “primarily” using the new to me Apple iPad 2 as my personal computer and am working on a longer version of “my impressions” that I’ll either post tonight or Saturday. I CAN say that I now understand why the tablet niche is dominated by the iPad and have to admit […]

Recording Van Sessions: Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers

| April 5, 2012

Perhaps I’m not around musicians enough to appreciate their unique creativity when it comes to great ways to promote themselves … but Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers caught my attention with their recording sessions as they travel between gigs.  A couple of my son’s talented friends might want to give the “Van Sessions” idea a […]

Frightening photos from tornados in Texas

| April 4, 2012

The tornados in Texas this past week were about as frightening as I’ve ever seen, but thankfully warning in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area were enough to keep losses primarily to property, although reports indicated that 10 people were injured. (WSJ: http://is.gd/fyqlNu )

Video: Frightening snowy mountain tow truck scene

| April 3, 2012

Perhaps a lesson from Mator is in order?

Looking forward to more Southwest flights in Ohio

| April 3, 2012

As expected after Southwest Airlines acquired Air Tran, they have announced a few more details. DAYTON — Southwest Airlines will begin service from Dayton International Airport on Aug. 12 with a daily round-trip flight to Denver, the airline announced Monday. The flight to Denver International Airport will open connections to other Southwest destinations in the […]

NASA’s Perpetual Ocean currents video

| April 2, 2012

Although this has probably been around a few years, the NASA‘s Perpetual Ocean is as artistic as it is informative. Those who transit the oceans of the world know the power of currents … this video illustrates how prevalent ocean currents are.

The Rav4 fan motor gives up the ghost

| April 1, 2012

My wife’s aging Toyota Rav4 has been a totally reliable car since 1998 and it is hard to complain when a part or two needs to be replaced after quarter million miles. Thankfully the little SUV was designed in a way that accessing the fan motor was pretty easy, so a few screws to remove […]

Ohio State Buckeyes contest NCAA loss to Kansas

| April 1, 2012

Minutes after OSU’s lost to Kansas 64-62, the Ohio State coaching staff contested the game believing they discovered a payola scheme which could impact the Jayhawks advancing to the National Championship game Monday. According to late reports swirling within the NCAA, officials are considering pulling Kansas from the tournament after discovering illegal corporate involvement in […]

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.
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