RichC | July 31, 2015
While waiting outside on a beautiful afternoon for Brenda‘s surgery to be finished, I will try a blog post from my phone. The reconstruction of her shoulder/arm was scheduled for 11am, but she was not wheeled away until 12:45pm. Hopefully all will go as planned in the scheduled 3 hours? Last night I took a […]
RichC | July 30, 2015
The above is a pretty innocuous photo: pine trees, a tree trimming pole and a ladder on the ground. It was the beginning to a difficult week as my wife Brenda started to trim a couple larger white pines (as she often does with magnolias and other smaller trees and bushes around our home). She […]
RichC | July 28, 2015
More video and info – Washington Post Link
RichC | July 27, 2015
Small business owners who regularly collect sales tax on their goods and services might not be quite as enamored with the “economic rebound” being boasted about in Ohio. While I do support Gov John Kasich and realized he does not have direct impact on counties needing to find more tax revenue, the tax shifting in […]
RichC | July 26, 2015
How old is this utility lawn and garden trailer? If you haven't been reading along, it's 40 years old. Of course close inspection would indicated that their was rust, but all in all, my father-in-law's old trailer came back to life nicely … and the green is much more in keeping with our old John […]
RichC | July 26, 2015
One of the projects coming together this past weekend was the disassembly, wire-brushing the rust (a lot), and painting of my late father-in-law’s old red Jackson lawn trailer. As mentioned previously, it was about 40 years old, well used, and had quite a bit of rust. Nevertheless, it was well made with quality steel – […]
RichC | July 25, 2015
After spending a lifetime working on cars and 30 years dealing with printing press wash-up chemicals and hand scrubs, one would think I would know a little bit about cleaning my hands? Well I do know a “little bit” but still haven’t figured out how to clean dried paint off my hands (in particular Miracle […]
RichC | July 24, 2015
Brenda and her sister Chris spent last weekend together at the family Farmhouse in western New York. They sorted through what was left from their mom and dad’s lifetime of “stuff” separating into garage sale, trash pick-up, donations and items they might still want. The later “group” grew far too large, in my opinion. Some […]
RichC | July 23, 2015
Wow … 10 years ago I bought my first “original” Slingbox. I thought this gadget was the coolest thing and even upgraded it in 2012 (has it been that long?) I used it regularly on the road with the laptop or Palm Treo (photo below) and “sling-ed” our home TV video (or just audio) signal […]
RichC | July 22, 2015
Chuckling at the “miss” from Applefalling short of their guidance, but they continue to build their bankroll of cash … now above $200 Billion! Profit margins are so far above most tech equipment makers and they are still cranking out the iPhones (47.5 Million in the 3rd quarter). Unfortunately for shareholders use to $AAPL blowing […]
RichC | July 21, 2015
The weekend project is coming together in the back of the “new to me” low-mile 2002 Honda Odyssey minivan I bought for $3700 from my dad. I wanted a shelf/workbench that can serve a couple of purposes. It doubles the storage use of the area behind the rear seat and enables me to fold all […]
RichC | July 20, 2015
Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers – Mr. Saturday Night – Loved Wild Lost – Van Session 29
RichC | July 19, 2015
I “know better” than to wear shorts and non-leather shoes when welding … but with the shop temperatures in the 90’s I ignored the safety rules and ruined my pair of good Keen shoes. Thankfully, after burning through my sock (don’t normally even wear them) the hot slag didn’t seriously burn my toe, but did […]
RichC | July 18, 2015
By far, my favorite woodworking and sailing YouTube channel is Tips from a Shipwright. It is sponsored by Jamestown Distributors in Rhode Island a great source for boat paints, finishes and epoxy materials. I will go there before looking elsewhere because of their sponsorship. The filmmaker Halsey Fulton of Fish Hawk Films brings the impressive […]
RichC | July 17, 2015
As much as I want to dislike shopping at Amazon rather than supporting a local business, their Prime Shipping option makes getting a part too easy (thanks to Katelyn and Drew). They are becoming the go-to choice for parts nowadays. I needed a new O-Ring for our pools chlorinator and ordered it within a few […]
RichC | July 17, 2015
The Apple iOS 9 pre-release has been dangled in front of me for a little while now, but since I’ve been traveling the last couple weeks, the temptation to install while away was not all that powerful, so I decided not tempt fate. That probably a good thing since a few tech people I follow, […]
RichC | July 16, 2015
IF … a big IF … I learn a little more about sail repair and “sewing,” I would like to have a few projects to practice on before wasting too much material (or time and money!) We still don’t have the proper sewing machine (perhaps a Sailrite?) BUT KNOW will not try using Brenda’s old […]
RichC | July 15, 2015
At least it is a “small” field of GOP candidates running for President of the United States in 2016 (sarcasm); who will be invited to the first debate? There are a couple candidates in the race that I can’t get too excited about, but I am trying to remain open minded and definitely could support […]
RichC | July 14, 2015
It really works! The “new to me” Rat Zapper Classic RZC001 mousetrap did its job in our poolhouse/workshop last night. After baiting the little “garage gizmo” with a few nuggets of Tootsie’s dog food, it “caught” a first mouse in what I hope will be many. It’s an interesting gizmo in that converts 4-AA batteries […]
RichC | July 13, 2015
Back in mid-2011, Netflix management frustrated their users by splitting their DVD and streaming services. They upped subscriber subscriptions by 60% in some cases and created a flurry of cancelations. The CEO, Reed Hastings, came out publically and admitted he “messed up.” He was of course responding to both angry users and the shareholder who […]
RichC | July 12, 2015
After a week or so away, it was time for a weekend of long overdue household chores. The grass was long (and a bit wet), the pool a bit green and the kitchen sink continued to drip … despite my ignoring it for weeks. The last one should have been relatively easy except I initially […]
RichC | July 11, 2015
For those aviation “nuts” who flock to Oshkosh each July for Airventure, EAA has a couple smartphone apps for you. I am told (thanks Bob) that version are in both iOS and Android so both major mobile operating systems are supported. I've just download myself so am not sure how helpful it will be, although […]
RichC | July 11, 2015
It was a quick and inexpensive flight to Florida this past week to do a little tropical weather prep aboard Encore. Summer is the time of year that “commuter cruisers” double their line, remove sails and store an extra windage in case hurricane winds target the area … besides I really was looking forward to […]
RichC | July 10, 2015
For the past few weeks I’ve been enjoying a quick read each morning summarizing the previous day’s news from theSkimm.com. Currently it is a free subscription and is delivered to your email box and worded in a light and easy to comprehend way. For those interested in more of a business news update, check out […]
RichC | July 9, 2015
So much for checking the old IYE traveller carefully on Encore before ordering $81 worth of the wrong bearings. It’s not all bad, since the previously purchased Delrin bearings will be needed eventually as they will either wear out or fail before long. Unfortunately the broken pieces in the top photos during a recent […]
RichC | July 8, 2015
Elio Motors issued a press release today on the crowd funding “non-binding” interest for equity in their new American start-up car company. Troy, Mich., July 8, 2015 – Elio Motors today announced it is off to a record-setting pace for its disclosed equity crowdfunding campaign, with more than $16 million in expressed non-binding interest from […]
RichC | July 7, 2015
It doesn’t get more #random than this as mentioned in my tweet today. In a Wall Street Journal video interview with a Columbus Zoo “zookeeper,” one of the comments made about the the Bearcat (or Binturong) is that they have a peculiar smell – that of Doritos!
RichC | July 6, 2015
I’m archiving a couple final (or nearly final) photos from my mother and father-in-law’s Farmhouse in Western New York. I spent the last few days as “busy as a beaver” finalizing a few things so that a home inspection would be as painless as possible … that is for a home built in the 1800s! […]
RichC | July 5, 2015
More than 40% of Americans surveyed said they fight over how to load the dishwasher, according to appliance maker Bosch. (see WSJ) -More than 70% of users choose the ‘normal’ cycle every time, even though dishwashers now have specialized settings. -Stainless-steel pans get cleaner in the dishwasher but never wash cast-iron or nonstick pans there. […]
RichC | July 4, 2015
RichC | July 4, 2015
Once in a while when commenting online about an item that I use, someone will ask me if I tried or would like to try their product. If the cost is reasonable, or no-charge, I’m usually happy to give it a try. A company called TheInsoleStore.com after reading one of my posts about Sperry Topsider boat and insoles asked if I […]
RichC | July 3, 2015
So much for “considering” Windows 10 on my iMac (Parallels). And here I was thinking that upgrading a couple of Windows machines wouldn’t be as expensive as in the past … with Microsofts FREE upgrad offer and all. (Parallels is working on a solution) Microsoft is making Windows 10 available as free upgrade for qualified […]
RichC | July 2, 2015
As with baby birds in previous years, the same tree is being used by the robins … with a new nest … again. This is the second brood for this pair of robins for 2015. They do have ugly chicks … and this guy is pretty weak (watch him flop below).
RichC | July 1, 2015
Investing in startups outside of a business where I have been hands-on management has never panned out successfully for me … so I’m not sure why I think ElioMotors will be different? In other words, treat that last statement a warning and my skepticism beyond seeing a new car company as interesting and exciting IF […]