RichC | February 28, 2017
While eating lunch today I was tinkering with my Lumix GX8 camera to play with depth-of-field and sandwiching images (see Photoshop technique in old post). In a low light macro situation there isn’t a way to keep items in front and back sharp enough to read … so in some cases, sandwiching two images is […]
RichC | February 28, 2017
Television habits, elimination of a landlines and much faster Internet speeds have changed the way most of us use and think about connectivity nowadays … and I’m not the first to once again contemplate "cutting the cable cord." The first step is likely knowing what is available over the air and IF an affordable high […]
RichC | February 28, 2017
Spotted this on my Facebook feed (was posted in 2016).
RichC | February 27, 2017
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RichC | February 26, 2017
Don’t you just hate picking up a nail or screw in a halfway decent tire? The BMW X5 35d has expensive run-flat tires and although I don’t panic about being able to drive the car home with a slow leak, I dread deciding on replace just "one" tire … so hear is hoping I can […]
RichC | February 25, 2017
Last night while posting about the shockingly mild February 2017 and “hinting” at the front rolling in, the change came. Nothing major, but definitely not 77 degree! After the sunrise, the gray sky move from west to east brought a late morning snow shower just to remind me that it is still winter — put […]
RichC | February 25, 2017
The weather in much of the midwest … and in particular Cincinnati … has been exceedingly mild this February 2017. The groundhog may have predicted a bit more winter, but he was way off this year. As a nasty looking weather front heads our way, the temperature Friday was downright balmy. I rolled down the […]
RichC | February 24, 2017
Previous efforts at using older wireless access points and routers have all been a disappointment when extending WiFi out to our detached garage/poolhouse/workshop, so when Amazon had an AC750 Netgear WiFi Range Extender (Model EX3700) on a "Prime Daily Deals" sale, I was skeptical. Still frustrated with the lack of a good Internet connection further […]
RichC | February 23, 2017
Likely I am not the only one who gets distracted when researching something on the Internet. This past weekend it was the Ballard Locks in Washington State that caught my eye and stole about an hour of my attention and time. Once upon a time, we contemplated a move to Seattle during the late 1990s […]
RichC | February 22, 2017
Should municipalities and states charge citizens if they exercise a constitutionally protected right? On the surface, most of us would say "no way" should a city or state charge US citizens to "vote," "worship" or to "speak freely" … but that’s what some politically left leaning cities and states do to those who own firearms. […]
RichC | February 21, 2017
Once again the US Financial market rose to new record highs on Tuesday as the Trump rally continues to encourage investment and hope for earning, regulation reductions and tax relief. Likely those three biggies will either get done and satisfy investors or disappoint with a delay and trigger a sell-off. Who knows if congress can […]
RichC | February 21, 2017
I was fortunate to have one of the greatest childhoods. My immediate family was very close with my mom’s parents (my grandparents) and her sister and family. We spent many times together and every holiday. My cousin Diane and husband Bert remain “relatively” close to this day and occasionally text message back and forth. Hm, […]
RichC | February 20, 2017
Happy Presidents Day … if you can still smile after the lack of discipline and leadership.
RichC | February 20, 2017
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RichC | February 19, 2017
Having been around journalists and the media most of my working life, I disagree with the broad brush of many who paint them as "knowingly biased and of misleading the public." Most reporters, professional journalists, aspire to gather and report the relevant facts with the purpose of getting a story correct and providing the facts […]
RichC | February 18, 2017
We have high ceilings in a couple areas of our house and one of the challenging chores is dusting or "de-webbing" the corners and edges some 20 feet up. Oh you would think it would be easy with a ladder, but you would be wrong. First, I don’t have an indoor ladder capable of reaching […]
RichC | February 18, 2017
To be fair, I’m not sure if “Chipper” is clearing his machine with it running (only his Orthopedic Surgeon would know for sure) … the photo makes me cringe nevertheless.
RichC | February 17, 2017
While talking with my IT friend Jeff about controlling relays with my Pine64 and Raspberry Pi computers, he thought developing with the Arduino or Particle Photon might be a better idea. I did a little bit more reading as to what an Internet Of Things device might be good for, and decided my relay switching […]
RichC | February 16, 2017
Unless you’ve had your head in the sand pile, you know that there is a shake-up happening in Washington DC since the election of President Donald Trump and his taking office less than 1 month ago. Much of the economic optimism seen by new records on Wall Street, job incentives and both interest rates and […]
RichC | February 15, 2017
Video training on setting up a speed limiting drogue for emergency steering on a sailboat. 33 minute training video demonstrates two popular approaches that give racers and cruisers more than one option when steering a disabled vessel with a damaged or lost rudder. Each drogue is deployed according to the manufactures recommendations with lots of […]
RichC | February 14, 2017
A couple gifts I gave this past Christmas were magnetic Nato Smart Mounts for holding smartphones or even tablets in a car. After buying a first one for our Honda Odyssey minivan as a promo and liking it, I added several more to the next order as gifts. The final one I kept for my […]
RichC | February 13, 2017
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RichC | February 12, 2017
Posting a few leftover photos from my last trip to the boat. One is a waterproof fitting to bring the solar cable thru Encore‘s deck (eventually a new project) … and a couple more of an early morning sunrise at the dock at Harbortown Marina in Fort Pierce. Really the trip was a quick getaway […]
RichC | February 11, 2017
The BMW X5 35d has been having issues starting when cold which seems likely due to a new Exide FP-AGML5/49 Edge Group L-5/49 Flat Plate AGM battery. I’ve gone great lengths to rule out almost everything other than the battery, and decided it must be a weak cell or defect in the new battery itself. […]
RichC | February 10, 2017
Great how-to YouTube video from ChrisFix on testing your car battery with a simple voltage meter.
RichC | February 10, 2017
This was going to be a normal Tech Friday post, but instead it will marry the automotive technology leader Tesla with a bit of news on their higher-volume / lower priced Model 3 sedan due out this summer. The company stated that all was on schedule for meeting their targeted July production date and they […]
RichC | February 9, 2017
My answer to "how comfortable?" – is that "I don’t really know"… because I haven’t been in one yet. But, I suspect after flying small airplanes like the Cessna 152 that someone who is 6’1" and 195 lbs like me should be "ok" for all but the longest trips. Here’s what the Elio blog has […]
RichC | February 8, 2017
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RichC | February 6, 2017
This past weekend while killing a few minutes, I had an enjoyable conversation with a nice young man about 2017 Superbowl LI. After finding out I always lived in Ohio, he introduced himself as Mike and ask how I liked growing up in the mid west, saying that he grew up on the east coast. […]
RichC | February 5, 2017
The Atlanta Falcons as a team deserve some credit in playing Superbowl LI impressively for three full quarters, until they didn’t in the 4th quarter. The New England Patriots basically slept during the first part of the game and came to life in the 4th quarter. In cardiac arrest inducing fashion, New England mounted the most […]
RichC | February 5, 2017
Homing pigeons were outfitted with lightweight cameras in WWI with time-delayed shutters for aerial reconnaissance photography, likely the first "drones." They were used very effective as messenger pigeons prior to wireless radio and effectively in communicating behind enemy lines in World War II. Interestingly the Swiss Army continued they military pigeons until it was disbanded […]
RichC | February 4, 2017
Spent a few days aboard Encore by myself this week doing a little (very little) needed maintenance. It’s amazing how "just sitting" is a killer for aging a sailboat! That’s not to say I’m ready to let her go, just that I need to give her more attention. One of the projects was to disassemble […]
RichC | February 3, 2017
The cursor on my new Lenovo Yoga 710 Windows 10 notebook has been driving me crazy. It jumps around the screen when I’m typing and often ends up add or deleting text in previous paragraphs. In an attempt to diagnosis the problem, I’ve fiddled with the trackpad thinking that my palms or thumbs must be […]
RichC | February 2, 2017
The larger "old" tripod that I’ve owned for 40 years and a small pocket tripod that I gave to my son is now unacceptable for my new camera (my bias opinion) … so it is time to update with something I don’t mind hauling around. I would have liked a $300+ carbon fiber ultra-light, but that […]
RichC | February 1, 2017
After the stock market closed yesterday, Apple $AAPL reported their fiscal first quarter earning and shocked even the most bullish in the crowd. Their iPhone 7 sales help them deliver record earning, no doubt due to Samsung’s battery issues (Android users switching to Apple iOS). Considering Apple make a lot more than phones, it is […]