Americans are split regarding military action in Syria

| August 31, 2013

Now that about everyone is convinced that Syria and the Assad government has used chemical weapons in their civil war and the “red line” has been crossed, the decision about what to do about it is up to President Obama. Personally I’m aligned with at least a strategic military response when it comes to Syria […]

Rental Car with lots of miles and #GifGrabber for TechFriday

| August 30, 2013

According to Scott McCartney who writes for the Wall Street Journal, rental car companies are keeping cars longer and accumulating more miles than in years past. The slow creep of their aging fleet is a result of the long recession and the improved quality of today’s vehicles (industry spokesmen say), but from a car renter’s […]

Controlling a PC or Mac, iPad-Style by Walt Mossberg

| August 29, 2013

I don’t care how good this “controlling a desktop computer with your iPad”app is … it can’t be worth $80 per year! “Parallels Access costs a hefty $80 per computer per year…” Parallels, a company based in Seattle that’s best known for its namesake program that allows Macs to run Windows, calls this “applifying” your […]

Santa Barbara, California to Williston, North Dakota

| August 28, 2013

My recent college graduate came back from his test-taking City-County Planning interview trip to Santa Barbara today and has fallen head over heels in love with California, at least the part that he was seeing. Besides his taking the next step in the interview process, Taylor was able to explore the area a bit by […]

Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel rust repair continues

| August 27, 2013

Rust repairs continue along the rocker panels and jack points on the Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel. The passenger side (photo left) wasn’t too bad so I opted to take care of that first. It is now under primer and ready for final sanding and eventually the black “chip resistant” paint. No that I’m on side […]

Our Federal Government: more waste, fraud and abuse

| August 26, 2013

Wasteful government spending is nothing new, nor is the corruption and abuse by companies and recipients siphoning off our hard earned tax dollars. What is new is a much bigger federal government and the addition of bunches of new programs and the seeming disregard for responsible oversight that comes with a “bigger government.” It is […]

Messing with your eyes and mind

| August 25, 2013

Want your eyes to look like this? Then keep looking at this “still” image! (yes it is a “still” image) 🙂

What’s an old Smith and Wesson handgun worth – $500,000?

| August 24, 2013

Antiques as they relate to history hold a small, but growing, interest for me. I appreciate the collector mindset when it come to things mechanical, especially when they hold a history like certain firearms …reading about this piece sparked my curiosity. The handgun which once belonged to the gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok about 150 years […]

Will soon be trying Sprint LTE with a Freedom Spot MiFi 500

| August 23, 2013

As a long time Sprint customer, I’ve been waiting for the LTE service to become in order to have better data connectivity for my iPhone 5 and with a wireless MiFi hotspot. Their service has been a painfully slow rollout in Ohio, but looks like it will soon be here. More importantly, I’m looking forward […]

CEO Steve Ballmer intends to retire from Microsoft

| August 23, 2013

  A big announcement day for lovers and haters of the software behemoth Microsoft (MSFT) as CEO Steve Ballmer announced that he intends to step down in the next 12 months. His timeframe will help in making a smooth transition as the board selects a new chief. Ballmer’s management has been flat-footed by all accounts […]

Confidence in NASDAQ in question after trading is halted

| August 22, 2013

At about the noon hour today stocks on the NASDAQ stock exchange were halted without much news besides a “technical issue.” According to CNBC, the markets should reopen at 3:30 although a few stocks will be reopened as a test around 3PM. (Quotes “only” for other Nasdaq listed stocks begins at 3:10PM) I’ve been eyeballing […]

Re-looking at dinghy davits for Encore

| August 22, 2013

I’ve come full circle in researching the best way to keep the price down and our Zodiac inflatable easily available when sailing Encore (or eventual a new lightweight RIB – AB or Walker Bay). The best davit option was to have a custom welded stainless steel (or aluminum) system made in order to hold not […]

West System Epoxy #Fail. What was I thinking?

| August 21, 2013

With the best of intentions to show the “power of epoxy,” I planned to glue a board end to end and either have the car supported or have the fiber of the wood tear apart. Neither happened (43 second video below). #fail 🙂

Tesla Model S: Best safety rating of any car ever tested

| August 20, 2013

It doesn’t get much safer — well done Tesla. Palo Alto, CA — Independent testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded the Tesla Model S a 5-star safety rating, not just overall, but in every subcategory without exception. Approximately one percent of all cars tested by the federal government achieve 5 […]

Receiving praise for questionable fixes … long story

| August 19, 2013

I had one of those “knight in shining armor” moments this weekend after a call for help request came in from my wife Brenda. She planned a weekend trip with her mother with a stop to visit our daughter in Columbus then to the farmhouse in New York. The primary goal is to begin taking […]

Are Northern Water Snakes populations back to normal?

| August 18, 2013

A friend shared a video a YouTuber, Amy Siewe, collecting Northern Water Snakes a couple years ago and he asked me if we were concerned about snakes crawling aboard when we sailed on Lake Erie … my answer was “no, we never even though about it.” It is interesting to see the perception people have […]

Finally started fixing the Mercedes 300D rusty jack points

| August 17, 2013

With Brenda out of town and few distractions, I started working on the rusty jack points and rocker areas on the 1982 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel. I cut out a bit more than expected and re-treated the area with Ospho. More later.

Sailboat projects are always in the thinking stage

| August 17, 2013

  It is not time to start another sailboat project, but I wanted to archive a site from Marshall Design while I’m thinking about it. The site has some great looking fiberglass and aluminum hard enclosures which could be used on Encore (1/8/2011). The original design on our Encore is still functional, but I can […]

Learning a little about The Code of the West and planning

| August 16, 2013

While helping my son bone up for an interview for a planning job west of the Mississippi … and well north too, he began reading a bit of information on the county so he can at least talk intelligently with the interviewer. He researched the area, included cities and towns, geography, political make up, culture […]

When shark fishing, a picture is worth 1000 words

| August 15, 2013

A couple fishermen with a dogfish (shark family) on their line happened to lured something a little bigger as they reeled in their catch.

Josh Mandel on Squawk on the Street

| August 14, 2013

Way to go Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel. Let’s keep the pressure on reforming Ohio and to make our state a model of openness and transparency. For those in SW Ohio … watch to the end when he compares Cincinnati to Detroit. Concerning?

Happy Birthday wishes for Brenda via FaceTime video

| August 14, 2013

Before I’m accused of forgetting my wife’s birthday, I didn’t (Whew) … but am posting here a couple days late. I think this is the first time we used a video call instead of a phone call as a way to connect with someone for a birthday, at least with a photo (we used FaceTime […]

The new Audi R8 V10 plus

| August 13, 2013

Ok … so I’m a diesel guy and really like Audi and VW TDIs, but … as someone a few years younger then me would say: SWWWEEET!!!

The Apple rumors are rolling today …

| August 13, 2013

New devices, September dates, bigger screened iPhones, Carl Icahn taking a position in $AAPL stock. As the Mazda ad goes … zoom, zoom. Reportedly, Apple Inc (AAPL) will unveil its much anticipated next generation iPhone on Sep 10. The device tentatively called iPhone 5S (can be 6 also) is rumored to feature a larger screen, […]

What does it take to be awarded the Medal of Honor

| August 13, 2013

Summer is a time to work through a pile of books (more and more ebooks) that are building up on my desk or nightstand. I rarely get through them without reading something from them worth remembering. It was particularly humbling to read about this posthumously awarded Congressional Medal of Honor recipient– Private Thomas Baker, Medal […]

Milking the system in California, where it is comfortable

| August 12, 2013

Something has got to change folks … I’m not proposing a tax revolt, but I won’t have a problem supporting one! Hey Democrats … is this really the way you want to spend taxpayer dollars? (and just because Republicans lament not having leverage, I don’t plan on letting them off the hook. In other words, […]

Why is Facebook losing teens?

| August 12, 2013

A few years ago Facebook rocketed to popularity as a social network for the .EDU college crowd … or .edu to be net savvy (lc). This emerging adult crowd was the envy of every high school teen and "wanna be older" pre-high student and having a Facebook account was a coming of age milestone. Parents […]

Met up with a high school/college friend after 30+ years

| August 11, 2013

Thanks to Facebook, I had a chance to meet up with a friend from high school (and grad school) that I haven’t seen in 30+ years. We had a mutual love for photography and both headed in different directions after school. She married and moved to Cincinnati and I married and started life in Cleveland. […]

What’s causing an overheated fuse in a Mercedes 300D?

| August 10, 2013

Was suppose to post on Saturday, but the WordPress Postie plugin failed me again. It looks like something is causing enough draw on this circuit to overheat the plastic of this fuse, but not enough to blow the fuse?

Sprint LTE testing in and around Cincinnati Ohio

| August 9, 2013

A friend of mine (thanks Tim) mentioned that it looked like Sprint was testing their LTE setup along I-75 in and around Cincinnati. I’ve been trying to remember to check it when in West Chester after hearing it was on north of the I-275 outer belt. so, while in town this we I remembered as […]

New TDI diesel engines from Volkswagen

| August 8, 2013

It makes me nervous when major changes are made to Volkswagen’s TDI engines, but according to a NYTimes Wheels blog article there are new efficient diesel power plants planned for Golf, Beetle, Passat and Jetta models next year. A few years the Pumpe Düse unit injector PD engine displace VW’s ALH motor which was one […]

Freedompop announces a new Sprint 4G LTE and 3G hotspot

| August 7, 2013

A  new LTE device launched yesterday according to an email I receive regarding a service inquiry I made. Thanks for your interested in FreedomPop’s very first 4G LTE capable device, the Freedom Spot 5580 LTE mobile hotspot. The 5580 LTE hotspot can connect up to 10 wifi capable devices and experience average speeds of 6-8Mbps […]

Fukushima nuke plant leaking A LOT of contaminated water

| August 7, 2013

Depressing … “A [Japanese] government official told reporters Wednesday that an estimated 300 metric tons (330 tons) of contaminated water was leaking into the ocean every day …” LINK

Amazing pod of Killer Whales having fun

| August 7, 2013

How to strike out with only one pitch

| August 6, 2013

A couple mid-summer house photos

| August 6, 2013

It has been absolutely beautiful weather with cooler than normal temperatures and sunny days. I’m shocked to be cutting grass that is still green and impressed how nice it looks for August. By this time of year the front lawn is usually a yellow brown and the stripes of our leech bed pretty obvious … […]

Boats that grow legs … or wheels as the case may be

| August 5, 2013

Sealegs has been developing a their boat without need for a trailer idea for a while now … still a great idea if you’ve got a spare $159,000 to $179,000 sitting around. (LINK)

If Detroit is the canary in the coalmine for pubic pensions…

| August 5, 2013

… what about employees and retirees of private companies – those who still have a pension plan? Almost everyone realizes that public pensions are going to remain a major problem for our country, but not as many realize just how underfunded pensions are for most large corporations. A report published by S&P Dow Jones shows […]

Enjoying a Nathan’s hotdog!

| August 4, 2013

Brenda and her mom enjoying a near perfect day in Cincinnati (West Chester) having a Nathan’s hotdog. EDIT: The original image was tinted so red from under the umbrella that I opted to go black and white for a change.

Latest WordPress upgrade to 3.6 and plug in changes

| August 4, 2013

It has been a few years since the automatic update from WordPress.org failed on my server … and only after the fact did I regret not doing a full backup prior to attempting the update (really, I’m posting just to see that all is working after the upgrade). After downloading the new install files and […]

The old MB 300D hit the 200K milestone today

| August 3, 2013

This odometer mileage isn’t that impressive for a Mercedes diesel, but anytime a 30-plus year old car is still cruising the highway at 200,000, it’s something to crow about.

Initial thoughts regarding the Freedompop Overdrive Pro

| August 2, 2013

Disappointing to say the least. The latest device available from Freedompop (low cost/ free wireless hotspot) is the Sierra Wireless Overdrive Pro utilizing the Sprint 3G/4G WiMaxx network which I thought might be similar to their previous 4G only devices – Photon. Unfortunately the refurbished Overdrive Pros are all that impressive from the moment one […]

An update on my Sperry Topsider boat shoe insoles

| August 1, 2013

Last year I animadverted about the inserts in my boat shoes and recently noticed that my August 2012 post was a recent MyDesultoryBlog’s top five … according to Google Analytics. Considering it is a top 5, it might be time for a boat shoe update? Boat shoes are a go to shoe in our house […]

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