Three of the most important women in my life

| September 30, 2012

My weekend was filled with more wedding stuff and with three of the most important women in my life. On Saturday I chauffeured Brenda and Katelyn to and from a few more wedding planning functions as well as participated in more cake tasting. This time the final cake arrangements were made. My wife and daughter […]

A “how do they do that” question

| September 29, 2012

How do packers of lettuce tie up a head? I can never get the wrap open without tearing or cutting.

When should you buy an Apple product

| September 28, 2012

A friend of mine is contemplating a computer upgrade and wants to look at an Apple Macbook Pro or Macbook Air this year, but the $2000 price tag is something to think seriously about. He asked me for my opinion since I have a pile of old Macintosh computers and hears that most users are […]

How long will the dollar be worth a dollar?

| September 27, 2012

After three rounds of Federal Reserve quantitative easing and the pumping money into the system, the economy remains depressed and there is growing concern over eventual inflation. The buying power of the U.S. dollar is noticeably weaker for those with stagnate earnings — most of middle-class America. Who knows when government inaction on trade, deficits, […]

Those Google Goggles may not be that far off?

| September 26, 2012

The Internet was down for a while yesterday (might have been my network issue) and realized I could no longer tether to my Palm Pre. Now that I have the iPhone 5, I’ve lost the emergency wifi connection that had come in so handy. Hmm, next best thing was to connect my Kensington bluetooth keyboard […]

If you love America, read #5 before voting this November

| September 25, 2012

Shame on the NFL

| September 25, 2012

We can’t blame the Seahawks or the Packers, but with all the money associated with the National Football League, there needs to be a better way to officiate than what we’ve been seeing in 2012 … and most notably in the Monday night game. Shameful. (slo-mo video below) Below is the final “Hail Mary” pass […]

Waze — a social turn-by-turn navigation mapping app

| September 24, 2012

After being a little (ok, a lot) disappointed with Google Maps being replace by Apple’s Maps app in iOS, I was anxious to give something else a try — so I downloaded, activated and have started to update Waze . So far so good with using the turn by turn navigation on my way to […]

Video: Well done iPhone parody

| September 23, 2012

It’s a lazy Sunday I didn’t feel like writing a blog post. Instead I’m using the iPhone to transcribe my speech into ;type and will include a great parody video … if Posterous will post it. Posted via email from RichC’s posterous

Smartphone photography with the new Apple iPhone 5

| September 22, 2012

The Apple iPhone 5 camera makes for a substantial improvement over my previous smartphone’s camera and so I was anxious to experiment with image quality and play with a few of the hyped features. Since I’m upgrading from the nearly “extinct” Palm Pre, running a rooted webOS install, any modern smartphone camera would have been an […]

Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T Mobile: Comparing LTE markets

| September 21, 2012

While waiting for delivery of a new 4G LTE phone, it made sense to compare carriers who currently have markets offering these higher data rates (currently Verizon, AT&T and Sprint). For many in the U.S. and overseas who are locked into existing contracts or not near LTE metro areas, buying a 4G LTE phone will […]

Shark or dolphin? A brief moment of panic …

| September 20, 2012

For surfers, there’s nothing worse than spotting a large gray figure swimming underneath you. In that brief moment where the brain tries to process the information, the body can go into shock, which is downright debilitating. Rookie pro Kolohe Andino had a tough second-round match at the Hurley Pro, and then he had the real […]

What “buying votes” in a swing state looks like

| September 20, 2012

I’m an advocate for using recycled cooking oil and non-feedstocks (and surplus soybean, etc.) to produce biodiesel fuels and am particularly fond of algae based biodiesel fuels as an entirely new renewable industry. It is one that can create tens of thousands of jobs as well as utilize our desert areas in this country for […]

Apple’s iOS 6 is available for download to many devices

| September 19, 2012

Ahead of the “hopeful” Friday delivery of a new gadget, the iPhone 5, I figured I’d give the new Apple iOS 6 a try on my iPad2. The download was made available this afternoon, but was a bit slow … which is no double due to it being 561 MB and that a “couple” other […]

Have iPhone 5s actually left the warehouses?

| September 18, 2012

Call me anxious or just curious to know if I should be keeping my eyes open for an iPhone 5 on Friday. Hmm … what does “shipped and/or” mean in checking the Sprint status page? If it is shipped, how about a tracking number?

HP Palm Pre 2 Be Resurrected as HP Android Bender?

| September 18, 2012

Rumors arrive as soon as I succumb to Apple iOS and the new iPhone 5. Hmm … After HP ditched webOS, the Palm Pre and the HP TouchPad, it stopped producing smartphones at a great loss. Recent rumors suggest that HP will get back in the smartphone fold with an Android device. It has been […]

Needed maintenance has me really wanting improvements

| September 18, 2012

An article on “do-it-yourself” home improvement ideas for empty-nesters caught my eye since we’re at a place where updates and repairs are on my mind. I currently need to work on the pool tiles before closing, painting is an ongoing update and I know our AC and furnace are showing signs of age … unfortunately […]

We had a nice weekend with Katelyn and Drew

| September 17, 2012

I didn’t access the computer much this weekend since Katelyn and Drew were home to “cake taste” and to handle some wedding planning details … thankfully my involvement is minimal. We did have a nice time together … talking, playing cards, reading some of my mom’s “legacy box” and watching the movie “Hunger Games.” It […]

Delayed weekend blog filler, but worth thinking about

| September 16, 2012

The  50/50 political split in America between Democrats vs. Republicans leave our people split in what they want from their government. A reminder from writing of our founders has me reflecting on what they thought made for good governing and “limits to power.” It is worth thinking about  … do we want bigger government an […]

Your mother wears army boots!

| September 15, 2012

A friend of mine commented on an interesting Facebook photo the other day and said it was most likely taken in Israel (or perhaps Switzerland?). Seeing women with assault rifles slung over their shoulders did raise my eyebrows, but it also triggered memories of an old expression loosely thrown around when I was a kid. […]

Placed an Apple iPhone 5 order with Sprint this morning

| September 14, 2012

I’m not sure when my new iPhone 5 will arrive, but ordered the smallest 16GB version as an upgrade to replace my aging … but much loved … Palm Pre. Unfortunately the Apple website wouldn’t take my order this morning so switched to the Sprint.com site. Unfortunately Sprint also has a glitch in their online […]

Markets up after Fed action while mideast continues in turmoil

| September 14, 2012

While the financial markets here in the U.S. climb due to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke initiating QE3 and adding more dollars to the economy, the Muslim fanatics in other parts of the world protest, breach U.S. embassies and kill Americans. The current response from the Obama Administration has been cautious and seemingly sends mixed messages […]

A Dow Jones WSJ subscription: Where am I going wrong?

| September 13, 2012

I’m finding a nutty pricing structure for for my morning newspaper and a questionable explanation (or lack of one) from Dow Jones in my attempt to renew my Wall Street Journal subscription. It sort of reminded my of a Twitter conversation last week on how  Amazon sells some paperback and hardback books cheaper than they […]

Apple unveils their newest iPhone … finally the iPhone 5

| September 12, 2012

I followed the Engadget liveblog and listen to the Leo Laporte’s TWIT gang during Apple’s launch of the iPhone 5, and it only seems appropriate that I chime in (I tweeted too much already). I’m sure there will be a few other blogs commenting today (chuckle, chuckle) and some will offer far more intelligent insight […]

Ah yes, who doesn’t need flip flops for winter

| September 12, 2012

Who doesn’t need a little toe covering as the snow begins to fly? Ok, so I’m kidding about getting a new pair of Keen Waimea H2 flip flops for the winter … but I did buy them now because they were finally on clearance. I had been planning on buying a new “leave them on […]

Remembering Patriot Day and the victims of 9/11

| September 11, 2012

Today is Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance; it is a day to remember the 2,977 killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. After congress unanimously passed Joint Resolution 71 on October 25, 2001 and President George W. Bush signed it into law on December 18, 2001, we now remember and […]

A couple of photos … and cute ones at that

| September 10, 2012

Awww … even a Mr. Manatee baby can be cute. After being too busy to post something for today, I lazily pulled a couple photos from the weekend and figured at least one of the photos was cute enough to put on the blog (ok, both of them). The second photo (below) is of Katelyn […]

Android and Apple iOS devices to be less similar in the future

| September 9, 2012

After Samsung’s recent lost to Apple in federal court, Android users will start to see a few changes to the look and feel of their phones and tablets and those being designed by Apple. One would assume that the individual manufacturer’s tweaks to Google’s Android — skins –will be modified from the current attempt to […]

Late winter storm hits New Zealand with hurricane force wind

| September 8, 2012

I’d love to visit and sail in New Zealand someday and I occasionally exchange emails back and forth with a couple friends living in that southern hemisphere country. One friend sent me a link on Friday after a strong storm hit Wellington with 140kmh (87mph) winds. They saw some damage throughout the city and it […]

One thing is for sure, Apple knows how to make money

| September 7, 2012

I read a simple article reviewing where Apple ($AAPL) makes their money … product mix, not geographic location. Anyway, I thought it was interesting that they make over 70% of their total sales (trailing 12 months) on the iPhone and iPad … that in comparison to Macintosh computers, software and services and even their Music […]

The new … new 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI convertible

| September 7, 2012

A first for Volkswagen in the U.S. is coming this year as they bring in the remodel new diesel Beetle TDI convertible for 2013. EDIT: I’m not sure what happened to the balance of this post, but will have to go back to my home PC later and see if it is still there … […]

The DNC is finding it challenging to unite on a platform

| September 6, 2012

This year at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, the liberal wing of the party hit a little resistance from within their own party as they continued to push “change” in a direction that was a bit “too far, too fast.”  They have made gains in uniting around gay marriage and government healthcare with moderate Dems, […]

Archiving a few late summer photo over the last few days

| September 5, 2012

I’m on the road today day and adding this as a filler post for Wednesday … but I wanted to archive a few recent photos (maybe the last few with my Palm Pre?). First, the drought across the country has had a serious impact on corn as well as other crops. Here in Ohio the […]

Anticipation heightens for Apple’s new iPhone 5 announcement

| September 4, 2012

I do enjoy the hype and speculation surrounding a new gadget release in the tech world … and few do it better than Apple. Last year’s iPhone 4s announcement was expected by most of us to be the iPhone 5, but it was not to be. This year everyone again expects them to adopt the […]

Missed a few Labor Day weekend events, but was with family

| September 3, 2012

Photo: Terry Ekstedt I missed the usual busy weekend with the TDIClub’s TDIFest and my EAA friends at our annual fly-in and pancake breakfast, but I was able to be at my mom’s bedside with several from my family. Mom had a rare smile and wasn’t in pain. Her voice was weak, but her mind […]

The Oldest Message in a Bottle Ever Found

| September 2, 2012

Sharing a story while trying out Google’s Current reader on the iPad to see how it re-posts to my blog … but it is an interesting story. Andrew Leaper, a Scottish skipper, has discovered the world’s oldest message in a bottle. He found the bottle while on the same fishing vessel where another mate had […]

The GOP wrapped up the 2012 Republican National Convention

| September 1, 2012

The Republican National Convention was held this past week in Tampa, Florida and besides being shortened due to Hurricane Isaac, it was … in my opinion … a big success for Gov Mitt Romney and the Republicans. I watch many of the speeches during each of the three evenings and caught a few of the […]

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